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PICTORIAL 



LIFE 



OF 



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67^- 



ANDEEW JACKSON. 



EMBELLISHED WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS, FROM DESIGNS BY 

WELIAM CROOME. 



BY JOHN FROST, LL.D. 

II 



" Universal History, the history of what man has accomplished in this world, is at bottom 

the hisiory of the great men who have worked here." — Carltlk. 



HARTFORD. 
BELKNAP AND H A ME R S L E Y 

PHILADELPHLi. 

MARTIN BOMBERGER. 
CINCINNATI: BOMBERGER & GILLIS. 

1847. 



< 



£ 






Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by 

JOHN FROST, 

In the office of the Clerk of the District Court of the United States, in and 
for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



STEREOTYPED BY E. B. MEARS, PHILADELPHIA. 
PRINTED BY CASE, TIFFANY AND CO., HARTFORD. 



PEEPACE. 

A LIFE of General Jackson, written so soon after 
his decease as the present, may be thought premature. 
Perhaps in some respects it is so. There are many 
points in which posterity alone will be able to appre- 
ciate his merits, and do justice to his claims. But 
with respect to the great elements of his character, 
and the leading actions of his life, all parties seem 
now to be agreed. The number of those who will 
deny his ability as a soldier, or his purity, disinterest- 
edness, and instinctive foresight as a statesman, is 
comparatively small. Many of those able and dis- 
tinguished men who deemed it their duty to oppose 
his leading political measures, always regarded him, 
while living, with respect, and still cherish his memory 
with reverence. It may therefore be confidently 
hoped that an attempt to give an impartial biography 
of him may be received with candour by the great 
mass of his countrymen. 

In the present attempt, the writer has dwelt chiefly 
on that part of General Jackson's life respecting 



IV PREFACE. 

which there is no controversy, viz : his brilhant mih- 
tary career. In the narrative of his pohtical hfe, httle 
more has been attempted than a succinct statement 
of facts. Later biographers will be enabled to do 
him ampler justice, by tracing the beneficial effects 
of his political measures into remoter times. 

For the events of the Creek war, and the defence 
of New Orleans, the writer is chiefly indebted to the 
copious and able biography of General Jackson 
written by his friend Major Eaton, whose access to 
the best means of information is undoubted. The 
other authorities are cited in the work. The pictorial 
embellishments of the book are chiefly from the pro- 
lific pencil of Mr. Croome, whose merits are well 
known to the public. 

The author has found his esteem and reverence 
for the character of General Jackson to be constantly 
increasing, with the extent of the researches which 
this work has required him to make ; and he believes, 
that popular as the subject of this memoir always has 
been, his favour with the American people is destined 
still to increase, so long as the Republic shall con- 
tinue to exist. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

EARLY LIFE. 
Parentage and Birth of Jackson, 16; Death of his Father. 17; The Re- 
volution, 18. 

CHAPTER II. 

SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 
Partisan warfare, 21 ; Marion, 22 ; Sumpter, 23 ; Death of Hugh Jack- 
son, 24 ; Fall of Charleston, 25 ; Waxhaw Massacre, 27 ; Affair at 
Armsaour's Mill, 29 ; Affair at Hanging Rock, 33 ; Rocky Mount, 39 ; 
Jackson's first battle, 40 ; Battle of King's Mountain. 45 ; Mrs. 
Jackson removes to North Carolina, 45 ; Battle of Cowpens, 49 ; 
Battle of Guilford, 53 ; Heroic conduct of Jackson, 56 ; Death of 
Jackson's Mother, 61; Battle of Eutaw, 65; Close of the Southern 
War, 66. 

CHAPTER III. 
PROFESSIONAL LIFE. 
Jackson studies Law, 68 ; Settles at Nashville, 69 ; Marriage with Mrs. 
Robards, 74. 

CHAPTER IV. 
INDIAN WAR— LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL LIFE. 
Jackson in Congress, 76 ; In the Senate, 76 ; Acquaintance with Mr. 
Livingston, 77; Elected Commander-in-chief, 79 ; Jackson appointed 
a Judge of the Supreme Court in Tennessee, 80 ; His firmness as a 
Judge, 81; Resigns, 82; Aaron Burr's Conspiracy, 83; Indian 
Wars, 87 ; Tennessee becomes a State, 89 ; Jackson assists in form- 
ing the Constitution of Tennessee, 89. 

CHAPTER V. 
COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 
Jackson offers his services to the Government, 92 ; Takes an Army to 
Natchez, 93 ; Ordered to disband his Troops, 95 ; Refuses to obey, 96 ; 



VI CONTENTS. 

His conduct approved, 99; Intri<;ues of Teciimseli, 100; Massacre 
at Fort Mimms, 103; Raising of Volunteers; 105; Scarcity of Pro- 
visions, 116. 

CHAPTER VI. 
TALLUSHATCHEE. 
Battle of Tallushatchee, 123; Adoption of Lincoyer, 125. 

CHAPTER VII. 
TALLADEGA. 
Forced march, 129; Battle of Talladega, 131; Relief of Fort Stro- 
ther, 133; Dinner of Acorns, 135; Soldiers mutiny, 136; Famine, 
139; Mutiny quelled, 141. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

HILLABEE TOWNS — DESERTIONS AND MUTINY— GEORGIA 
VICTORIES. 

Hillabee Deputies, 144 ; Destruction of the Hillabees, 145 ; Mutiny, 
146; Letter to the Rev. Mr. Blackburn, 147; Letter to the Army, 
151; .Jackson's Address, 156; Arrival of General Cocke. 161; Cof- 
fee's Brigade, 162; Governor Blount, 169; General Roberts cash- 
iered, 175; Arrest of Kearley, 175; Lilliard's Regiment, 178; Geor- 
gia Victories, 180. 

CHAPTER IX. 
EMUCKFAW. 
Colonel Carroll, 185; General Coffee, 186; Indian Spies, 188; Battle 
of Emuckfaw. 190; Carroll's charge, 191 ; Letter to General Pinck- 
ney, 193. 

CHAPTER X. 
ENOTICHOPCO. 
Ruse of Jackson, 196; Battle of Enotichopco, 197; Firmness of Jack- 
son 200; Effectsof the Battle, 201; Volunteers discharged, 203. 

CHAPTER XI. 
TOHOPEKA. 
The last Mutiny. 207 ; Battle of Tohopeka, 209 ; Death of Major Mont- 
gomery, 211; Wounded Warrior, 215; Effects of the Battle, 217* 
Address to the Troops, 218. 



CONTENTS. VU 

CHAPTER XII. 
CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 
March to the Hickory Ground, 222 ; Pursuit of Indians, 222 ; Surren- 
der of Weatherford, 225 ; Volunteers discharged, 229 ; Treaty with 
the Creeks, 231 ; Speech of Big Warrior, 235. 

CHAPTER XIII. 
PENSACOLA. 
Hostility of the Spaniards, 241; Letter to the Spanish Governor, 243; 
Nicholl's Proclamation, 249; Attack on Fort Bowyer, 251 ; Jackson's 
Proclamation, 253 ; Attack on Pensacola. 257 ; Storming of the Bat- 
tery, 259 ; Capture of Pensacola, 259 ; Destruction of the Barran- 
cas, 260. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

NEW ORLEANS— BATTLE OF THE TWENTY-THIRD OF DE- 
CEMBER. 

Designs of the British, 265 ; Disaffection of the Inhabitants, 267 ; Com- 
mittee of Safety, 26S ; Governor Claiborne, 271; Situation of New- 
Orleans, 273; Jackson's force, 275; Governor Shelby's patriotism, 
276 ; Fortifications, 279 ; Gunboat action, 283 ; Loss of the Sea- 
horse, 284 ; Commodore Patterson, 285 ; Address to the Troops, 286 , 
Conduct of the Legislature, 289 ; Declaration of Martial Law, 290 ; 
Judge Hall, 292 ; Landing of the British. 293 ; Plan of March, 295 ; 
Night Action of the 23d of December, 296 ; Jackson's Attack, 303 ; 
Defeat of the British, 304 ; Fortifying. 305 ; Effects of the Battle. 307. 

CHAPTER XV. 
NEW ORLEANS— BATTLE OF THE FIRST OF JANUARY. 
The invading army, 311; Jackson's preparations, 313; Lafitte, 314; 
Baratarians, 315; British ofiers eluded, 318 ; Lafitte joins the Ameri- 
cans. 319; British attack the works, 323; Colonel Henderson killed, 
325; British erect batteries, 327 ; Attempt on Jackson's life, 327; 
Battle of January 1st, 327 ; Defence of the Swamp, 329 ; Jackson's 
second line, 331; Reinforcements. 333; Defence of the right bank, 
335 ; Battle of the 8th of January, 337 ; Havoc among the British, 
341; Fall of Packenham, Keane, and Gibbs. 340; Retreat of the 
British, 341 ; Death of Colonel Rennie, 342 ; Action on the right 
bank. 342 ; Loss of the British, 345 ; Burying the dead. 347 ; Re- 



Viii CONTENTS. 

treat of the British, 351; Bombardment of Fort St. Philip, 353; 
Jackson's return to New Orleans. 355 ; Peace announced, 359 ; Army 
disbanded, 363 ; Return to Nashville, 364. 

CHAPTER XVI. 
THE SEMINOLE WAR. 
Jackson appointed Commander-in-chief of the Southern division, 368; 
Visit to Washington, 369 ; Visit to New Orleans, 371 ; Indian Treaty, 
373; Condition of Florida, 375 ; Indian depredations, 379 ; Destruc- 
tion of the Negro fort, 383 ; M'Krimmon's rescue, 385; Surprise of 
Lieutenant Scott, 387 ; Gaines enters Florida, 389 ; Jackson takes 
the command, 395 ; Fort Gadsden built, 397 ; Capture of St. Marks, 
399 ; Ambrister taken, 401 ; Arbuthnot aird Ambrister executed, 
405; Occupation of Florida, 411; Jackson visits Washington, 413; 
His justification, 414. 

CHAPTER XVII. 
JACKSON AT THE HERMITAGE. 
Jackson appointed Governor of Florida, 419 ; Nominated for the Presi- 
dency, 421 ; Election of Mr. Adams, 423 ; Jackson renominated, 
425; Elected President, 429. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

Inaugural Address, 435; First Cabinet, 439; Congress of 1829, 440; 
Message, 442 ; United States Bank, 444 ; Debate on the Constitu- 
tion, 447 ; Internal Improvements, 449 ; Second Message, 45 1 ; Re- 
jection of Van Buren by the Senate, 457 ; Veto of Bank Bill, 459 , 
Nullification, 461; Proclamation, 463; Calhoun's position, 465. 

CHAPTER XIX. 
SECOND PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 
Outrage on the President, 473 ; Removal of the Deposites, 477 ; French 
Indemnity, 479; Attempt to Assassinate the President, 480; Ex- 
punging Resolutions, 483 ; Farewell Address, 486. 

CHAPTER XX. 
LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

Character of Jackson, 489 ; Correspondence with Commodore Elliott, 
498; Jackson's Last Will, 500; His Death-Bed, 505; His example, 
506; Closing remarks 510. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



^AGE. 


Engeavers. 


Frontispiece — Equestrian Portrait, . Armstrong and Pease. 


Title — Medallion Portrait .... 


A. Spencer. 


13 Early Life of Jackson .... 


B. F. Waitt. 


19 Tail-Piece ..... 


Devereux. 


20 Jackson with Marion and Davie 


:( 


23 Marion and his men .... 


i( 


25 General Lincoln .... 


B. F. Waitt. 


26 Charleston ...... 


J. Downes. 


30 Sir Henry Clinton .... 


B. F. Waitt. 


33 Lord Rawdon . . . • " • 


u 


38 Attack on the hollow square at Hanging Rock . 


Devereux. 


42 Lord Cornwallis ..... 


iC 


46 Removal of the Waxhaw Settlers 


u 


48 General Greene ..... 


u 


50 Battle of Cowpens .... 


u 


58 Jackson defying the British officer 


u 


67 Riding the circuit .... 


B. F. Waitt. 


74 Marriage of Jackson .... 


Devereux. 


75 Indian War scene .... 


(I 


81 Surrender of Russell Beau .... 


H. Bricher. 


97 The sick Soldier .... 


Devereux. 


102 Tecumseh ...... 


B. F. Waitt. 


103 Massacre at Fort Mimms 


H. Bricher. 


115 Indian Runner ..... 


Devereux. 


119 Bringing in Prisoners .... 


(; 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



121 Lincoyer .... 

123 Battle of Tallushatchee 

124 Adoption of Lincoyer . . 
127 The Dinner of Acorns . 

131 Battle of Talladega 
136 Soldiers concocting Mutiny 
141 Jackson quelling the Mutmy 
143 Hillabee Deputies 

157 Scalping .... 

158 General Jackson reviewing the Volunteers 
168 AUcorn abandoning the campaign . 

176 Arrest of Lieutenant Kearley . 

181 Burning of an Lrdian Village 

183 Mounted Rifleman 

189 Spies reporting 

191 Battle of Emuckfaw 

197 Battle of Enotichopco . 

205 Log Cabin 

207 The last Mutiny 

209 Planting the Cannon . . 

211 Battle of Tohopeka 

215 Indian Prophet . 

216 Young Creek Warrior . . 

217 General Jackson ill . . 
223 Pursuit of Indians . 

225 Weatherford 

226 Surrender of Weatherford . 

232 General Harrison 

233 Big Warrior 

238 Treaty with the Creeks 

239 Indian Village 
241 Death of Lieutenant Murray 
247 Arrival of British ships at Pensacola 
252 Attack on Fort Bowyer 
260 Blowing up of the Barrancas 



H. Brie her. 

Devereux. 
(I 

J. Downes. 
S. F. Baker. 
J. Downes. 
S. F. Baker. 
Devereux. 



B. F. Waitt. 
Devereux. 

(C 

B. F. Waitt. 
Devereux. 



B. F. Waitt. 
Devereux. 

a 

ti 

u 

u 

tt 

tt 

ti 

II 

tt 

u 

J. Downes. 
(( 

Devereux. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



XI 



J. Downes. 



261 Retreat of the British .... 

262 Landing of Creeks 

264 Jackson in 1815 . . . . • 

268 Jackson conferring with the Committee of Safety 

277 Embarkation of Tennessee Troops 

278 Jackson descending the Mississippi 

279 Fortifying of New Orleans 
281 British Fleet off Pensacola 
283 Blowing up of the Seahorse 
286 General Jackson addressing the Volunteers 
290 Jackson declaring Martial Law 

294 Arrival of the British Fleet 

295 Departure of the Troops for New Orleans 
299 Night Action of the 23d of December 
308 Napoleon . . . . • 
310 Head-Piece to Chapter XV. 
312 Artillery ..... 
314 Lafitte ..... 
322 English soldiers throwmg up battery . 
324 Gun-deck ..... 
330 General Jackson and the Cotton Merchant 
332 Erection of Morgan's battery 
337 General Packenham's Band 

339 Battle of New Orleans— Death of General Packenham " 

340 Fall of General Gibbs .... " 
342 Death of Colonel Rennie . . . ,'" " 
347 General Jackson relieving the wounded British after 

the battle . . . . . H. Bricher. 

350 Burying the Dead .... Devereux. 

353 Bombardment of Fort St. PhHip . . . B. F. Waitt. 

361 Jackson's Farewell Address to the Army at New 

Orleans . . . • . S. F. Baker. 

364 Return to Nashville .... Devereux. 

366 Jackson and the Soldiers .... " 

367 The War-drum .... " 



Devereux. 
a 

B. F. Waitt. 

Devereux. 
J. Downes. 

C( 
(C 

Devereux. 



S. F. Baker. 
Devereux. 

ti 

a 

u 

u 

i< 

ti 

u 
J. Downes. 



xu 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



370 Madison ...... 

372 Jackson's Visit to New Orleans 

377 Monroe ...... 

381 Francis Hillishago .... 

385 Rescue of M'Krimmon . . . . 

388 Indians attack Lieutenant Scott's party 

394 General Jackson addressing the Soldiers of Tennessee 

397 Rebuilding of Fort Gadsden 

398 Conflict of the Advanced Guard with the Indians 
402 Trial of Ambrister .... 
408 John Qurncy Adams 

416 Reception of Jackson 

417 Jackson at the Hermitage 
424 Henry Clay 
430 Tail-Piece 

432 General Jackson in 1829 . 

433 Emblems 
448 Daniel Webster 
457 Martin Van Buren 
466 John C. Calhoun 
470 United States Capitol . 
481 Attempt to assassinate General Jackson 
487 General Jackson in his last days 
492 James K. Polk 
512 Emblems 



B. F. Waitt. 
Devereux. 
B. F. Waitt. 
Devereux. 



B. F. Waitt. 
S. F. Baker. 



Devereux. 
S. F. Baker. 
Devereux. 
S. F. Baker. 
B. F. Waitt. 
Devereux. 
H. Bricher. 
S. F. Baker. 

tl 

Devereux. 





HAPTER I. 

EARLY LIFE. 

The period has already ar- 
rived when the character and 
actions of Andrew Jackson 
can be reviewed by all parties 
of his countrymen with can- 
dour and fairness. He has 
passed to that tribunal where 
all must appear, to give an ac- 
count of the work which 
they have performed in this 
state of ])eing. Sustained by 
a consciousness of patriotic 
and honourable intentions, and 
by the hope of mercy through 
the Redeemer, he died in the 
assured hope of a glorious im- 



14 ' EARLY LIFE. 

mortality. His countrymen mourned his loss with 
unaffected and universal sorrow. They have already 
begun to realize that he was a man of that character 
and calibre of which one example in an age is all that 
we can hope for. As time rolls on he w ill be more 
highly appreciated. Another war with England, and 
another threatened dismemberment of the Union, 
whenever they come, will cause men to look back upon 
the past, and to wish that another Jackson might arise 
to guide our armies, and preserve the unity of the Re- 
public. But such events are not necessary to direct at- 
tention to his merits. The eager spirit of inquiry which 
is beginning to show itself respecting the past history 
of the country and its leading men, will cause every 
action of Jackson's life to be thoroughly scrutinized. 
And they will bear the scrutiny. It will appear that 
he was thoroughly disinterested and patriotic in every 
public act ; that he was so admirably just and noble 
in his private relations that he became in every circle 
where he moved the delight of his friends ; that he 
had, like a true and foithful American statesman, a 
thorough faith in the people, a thorough sympathy 
with the people ; and that through these qualities, he 
became, more than any other since the Father of his 
Country, the favourite hero of the people. 

The present attempt to sketch the leading events 
of his life has been undertaken from a conviction of 
his real greatness, and from the writer's assent to the 
doctrine which is thus eloquently laid down by one 
who has made heroes his study : 

" Universal history, the history of what man has 
accomplished in this world, is at bottom, the History 



GREAT MEN. 15 

of the Great Men who have worked here. They 
w^ere the leaders of men, these great ones ; the mo- 
dellers, patterns, and, in a wide sense, creators of 
whatsoever the general mass of men contrived to do 
or to attain ; all things that we see standing accom- 
plished in the world are properly the outer material 
result, the practical realization and imbodiment, of 
thoughts that dwelt in the Great Men sent into the 
world : the soul of the whole world's history, it may 
justly be considered, were the history of these. 

" Great men, taken up in any way, are profitable 
company. We cannot look, however imperfectly, 
upon a great man, without gaining something by him. 

" He is the living light-fountain, which it is good 
and pleasant to be near. The light which enlightens, 
which has enlightened the darkness of the world : and 
this not a kindled lamp only, but rather as a natural 
luminary shining by the gift of Heaven ; a flowing 
light-fountain, as I say, of native original insight, of 
manhood and heroic nobleness; in whose radiance 
all souls feel that it is well with them." 

If the doctrine of Carlyle is applicable as a general 
rule, it is specially applicable in the case of Jackson. 
His life is full of instruction for his countrymen. It 
speaks volumes in proof of the genial influence of 
free institutions in developing real genius and pro- 
viding for it a grand theatre of action. The unpro- 
tected orphan, without family, friends, fortune, or even 
a finished education, rising by regular gradations, and 
always by the unsought suffi-ages of his countrymen, 
from a private station to the highest civil and military 
rank which the nation could bestow, affords a subject 



16 EARLY LIFE. 

of proud contemplation to the American patriot, and 
a lesson full of instruction for every child of the re- 
public. 

This broad fact is not more instructive than the 
many details which it embraces. The several actions 
in Jackson's life afford examples for the guidance of 
his countrymen. They show the irresistible strength 
which heaven has granted to an honest purpose. They 
show the homage which men pay to an iron will, based 
upon the consciousness of right intentions. They show 
the value of moral courage. They show that the safe- 
guard of the republic consists in a right understanding 
between its really great men and the millions whom 
they are destined to lead on to victory and national 
prosperity. The biography of such men as Andrew 
Jackson is a profitable study. 



The multiplied wrongs inflicted upon the people of 
Ireland by their haughty rulers, the fearful oppression 
which for ages they had endured, are matters familiar 
to the most superficial reader of their history. Their 
sufferings at home caused the eyes of many of the 
Irish patriots to be turned at an early period to the 
American colonies ; and numbers availed themselves 
of the asylum offered by the wilds of America, to se- 
cure peace to themselves and their children. Among 
the emigrants from the Emerald Isle, previous to the 
war of Independence, was Andrew Jackson, the father 
of him whose actions form our theme. He arrived at 
Charleston in the year 1765, accompanied by his wife, 



DEATH OF JACKSON'S FATHER. 17 

and two sons, Hugh and Robert, both quite young. 
He fixed his residence at the Waxhaw settlement, dis- 
tant from Camden about forty-five miles ; where he 
purchased a plantation, and where he hoped to spend 
his old age in peace. It was here, on the 15th of 
March, 1767, that his third son, Andrew, was born. 
The father was not destined to behold even the earlier 
glories of the fiiture hero of the west ; about the close 
of the year which witnessed the birth of his youngest 
son, he passed to brighter scenes in another and hap- 
pier world. 

By this sudden bereavement, the care of educating 
the three boys devolved upon Mrs. Jackson ; a lady who 
appears to have been eminently qualified for the task. 
The two elder children, who w ere intended for a situa- 
tion in life similar to that occupied by their father, re- 
ceived their education at a country school, where they 
acquired only the simpler branches of learning. But 
Andrew, her youngest and darling child, was intended 
by his fond parent to fill a more conspicuous station in 
life. Her plans, however, were far from being realized 
in his future career of glory ; although the position for 
which she intended him was one of honour and useful- 
ness. His superior abilities pointed out a professional 
life as the one best suited to his nature ; and the pious 
mother decided that he should be educated for the 
pulpit. Under the tuition of a gentlemen named Hum- 
phries, who taught an academy in the Waxhaw meet- 
ing-house, Andrew commenced his classical studies. 
He pursued them for some time with ardour and suc- 
cess, until the commencement of the American Revolu- 
tion disturbed his peaceful avocations, and from tho 



18 EARLY LIFE. 

academy he was suddenly hurried into those fearful and 
bloody scenes which marked the partisan warfare of 
the Carolinas. In this severe school he was to receive 
the training which gave him that unflinching military 
courage, and stout, unfailing promptitude of action 
which characterized his after life. We may figure to 
ourselves the future pioneer of the west in those his 
early days, relieving the monotony of his classical stu- 
dies by frequent excursions in the surrounding forests ; 
where the rifle and the hunting-knife became his boy- 
hood's playthings ; the parroquets and wild deer of 
those Carolinian woods the targets of practice for that 
unerring aim which was afterward to make him the 
dread of the murderous savage. He was now com- 
mencing that rough training which was to be perfected 
in the Revolutionary contest. Born but two years 
after the Stamp Act was passed, his childhood had 
passed away while the statesmen of America had been 
contesting the great questions on which the Revolution 
was based, and conducting it in the council chamber 
to that point Mhen recourse was had to the final arbiter 
of national quarrels, the sword. The battle of Lex- 
ington had been fought, and the echo of its din had 
reached the wilds of the Waxhaws without exciting 
immediate alarm. Later, the defeat of the British at 
Charleston had been borne to the distant cottajxe of our 
hero's mother, on the wings of rumour, and had brought 
the cheering assurance that for the present her fire- 
side would be safe from the brutality of British soldiers. 
Next came the news that Independence was declared ; 
and the young heart of Jackson exulted in the con- 
sciousness that he had a country. No longer a mere 



HOSTILITIES WITH ENGLAND. 



19 



colonist, he was destined to be a free citizen of the soil 
on which he was born ; and when the din of arms came 
nearer, and the foot of the invader was already on 
Carolinian ground, he had become old enough and 
strong enough to shoulder the partisan rifle, to mount 
his horse, and become one of those wild rangers of the 
forest whose ubiquity and valour were alike the dread 
of Tarleton, Rawdon, and Cornwallis. 





Jackson accompanying Marion and Davie in the Southern War. 



CHAPTER II. 



SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION, 




llil|(!|ll!ii ■•llii!;.; , HE Storm which for many 
|J|;i|: years had been gathering 
in the pohtical horizon of 
the colonies of America, 
and whose first fury burst 
upon the devoted heads of 
the patriots of Lexington, 
■^^^^ ^^^^B JBaa^fflfr began in 1778 to agitate 
the southern portion of the confederacy; and the 
peaceful pursuits of the inhabitants were relinquished 
for the din of arms. While many of them, influenced 



PARTISAN WARFARE. 21 

by fear or interest, turned a deaf ear to the demands 
of patriotism and joined the royal standard, the sons 
of Mrs. Jackson ranged themselves under the banner of 
their country, and staked their lives and their all in 
the struggle for liberty. Their natural ardour, and 
attachment to the American cause, was not a little 
increased by the remembrance of the injuries suffered 
by their ancestors ; and to their zeal for freedom was 
added a deep and abiding detestation of British ty- 
ranny. Their grandfather had been one of the de- 
voted Irish patriots, who vainly struggled to free their 
country from the yoke of the oppressor ; and at the 
siege of Carrickfergus he had laid down his life for 
his country. His wrongs and his melancholy fate had 
formed the frequent subject of the mother's eloquent 
descriptions ; and the lofty patriotism and fervent de- 
votion to the cause of civil liberty with which she 
inspired her sons, laid the foundation of that elevated 
and heroic character which marked the subsequent 
career of Jackson. 

While Generals Lincoln, Gates, and Greene com- 
manded in succession the main force of the Americans 
in the Carolinas, which had now become the chief the- 
atre of war, the detachments who harassed the ene- 
my in partisan warfare were under the direction of 
Marion, Sumpter, Pickens, and Davie. These leaders 
were engaged in breaking up the smaller forts of the 
British, or in repairing losses sustained by action. 
The troops which followed their fortunes, on their 
own or their friends' horses, were armed with rifles, 
in the use of which they had become expert ; a small 
portion only who acted as cavalry being provided with 



22 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

sabres. When they approached the enemy they 
dismounted, leaving their horses in some hidden 
spot to the care of a few comrades. Victorious or 
vanquished, they flew to their horses, and thus im- 
proved victory or secured retreat. Their marches 
were long and toilsome, seldom feeding more than 
once a day. Their combats were like those of the 
Parthians, sudden and fierce, their decisions speedy, 
and all subsequent measures equally prompt. 

" Marion," says Lee in his memoirs, " was about 
forty-eight years of age, small in stature, hard in visage, 
healthy, abstemious, and taciturn. Enthusiastically 
attached to the cause of liberty, he deeply deplored the 
doleful condition of his beloved country. The com- 
mon weal was his sole object ; nothing selfish, nothing 
mercenary soiled his ermine character. Fertile in 
stratagem, he struck unperceived ; and retiring to 
those hidden retreats, selected by himself, in the mo- 
rasses of Pedee and Black River, he placed his corps 
not only out of the reach of his foe, but often out of 
the discovery of his friends. A rigid disciplinarian, 
he reduced to practice the justice of his heart ; and 
during the diflicult course of warfare through which 
he passed, calumny itself never charged him with vio- 
lating the rights of person, property, or of humanity. 
Never avoiding danger, he never rashly sought it ; and 
acting for all around him as he did for himself, he 
Tisked the lives of his troops only when it was neces- 
sary. Never elated by prosperity, nor depressed by 
adversity, he preserved an equanimity which won the 
admiration of his friends, and exacted the respect of 
his enemies." 



SUMPTER AND MARION. 




Marion and his men. 



" Sumpter," says the same authority, " was younger 
than Marion, larger in frame, better fitted in strength 
of body to the toils of war, and, like his compeer, de- 
voted to the freedom of his country. His aspect was 
manly and stern, denoting insuperable firmness and 
lofty courage. He was not over scrupulous as a sol- 
dier in the use of means, and apt to make considerable 
allowances for a state of war. Believing it warranted 
by the necessity of the case, he did not occupy his 
mind with critical examinations of the equity of his 
measures, or of their bearings on individuals ; but in- 
discriminately pressed forward to his end — the des- 
truction of his enemy and the liberation of his country. 
In his military character he resembled Ajax ; relying 



24 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

more upon the fierceness of his courage than the results 
of unrelaxing vigilance and nicely adjusted combina- 
tion. Determined to deserve success, he risked his 
own Hfe and the lives of his associates without re- 
serve. Enchanted with the splendour of victory, he 
would wade in torrents of blood to attain it. This 
general drew about him the hardy sons of the upper 
and middle grounds, brave and determined like him- 
self, familiar with difficulty, and fearless of danger." 

Pickens and Davie, with less experience in war 
than Marion and Sumpter, were equally brave, deter- 
mined, and devoted to the cause of liberty ; they per- 
severed to the last, and contributed greatly to that 
success which was the first object of their efforts.* 
It was to this partisan force that Andrew Jackson be- 
came attached in his first campaign. This was the 
school in which the future hero of Talladega and To- 
hopeka received the rudiments of his military educa- 
tion. His eldest brother, Hugh, preceded him in en- 
tering on the life of a soldier. After the fall of Sa- 
vannah, December, 1778, the British invaded South 
Carolina (1779), and Hugh attached himself to a com- 
pany commanded by Captain Davie, afterwards Colo- 
nel Davie, which joined the army of General Lincoln, 
encraged in the defence of the state. In the unsuc- 
cessful attack of General Lincoln on the British at 
Stono (20th June, 1779), Hugh Jackson lost his life. 
He died, however, not from wounds, but from the ef- 
fects of heat and fatigue. 

In the succeeding campaign (1780), the war was 

* Lee's Memoirs. 



SURRENDER OF CHARLESTON. 



25 




Genera] Lincoln. 



brought to the very doors of Mrs. Jackson's residence, 
in consequence of the surrender of Charleston by 
General Lincoln (May 12th.) This blow, for the mo- 
ment, completely paralyzed all the Southern States, 
and carried dismay into every part of the union. So 
confident was Sir Henry Clinton of ultimate success 
in completely conquering the Southern States, if not 
the Northern, that after accepting the parole of the 
4 



26 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

prisoners of war taken at Charleston, he issued pro- 
clamations requiring them all to take up arms in the 
royal cause, threatening heavy vengeance in case of 
their refusal. In the meanwhile he had undertaken 
three expeditions, with the object of clearing the coun- 
try of all the remaining forces of the Americans — the 
first and most considerable under Lord Cornwallis, 
towards the frontiers of North Carolina; the second 
to the district called Ninety-Six, on the southwest 
side of the river Santee ; and the third up the Savan- 
nah river, towards Augusta, where General Lincoln 
had left a garrison. 

Lord Cornwallis had not gone far, when he received 
intelligence that Colonel Buford, who had arrived too 
late to be able to throw succour into Charleston, had 
taken post on the banks of the Santee, with a con.si- 
derable body of horse and foot. He instantly detached 
his ablest and most savage cavalry officer, Colonel 
Tarleton, who made a march of one hundred and five 
miles in fifty-four hours, surprised Buford at the Wax- 
haws, and completely routed his band. Buford, a 
few of the cavalry, and about one hundred infantry, 
effected their retreat ; the remainder surrendered, and 
were nearly all butchered by order of the inhuman 
Tarleton. This affair was bitterly remembered du- 
rino[ the rest of the war under the name of " Tarle- 
tori's Quarter.'''' A British writer, in speaking of it, 
says, " Tarleton, who was a sort of partisan officer, 
who made war like a guerilla, and whose legion was 
composed of the desperadoes of the army, never pre- 
served that degree of discipline which was common to 
the rest of the army : his own character, the charac- 



WAXHAW MASSACRE. 27 

ter of his men, and the desperate, dare-devil service 
on which they were ahiiost constantly employed, were 
irreconcilable with the milder spirit and gentler habits 
of troops of the line, kept constantly under the eye 
of the commander-in-chief and staff. On the present 
occasion, their victory seems to have been disgraced 
by a slaughter, which was the less pardonable, as their 
own loss was so very trifling, amounting only to five 
killed and fifteen wounded." 

The wounded survivors of this dreadful massacre* 
were brought into the Waxhaw meeting-house, and 
taken care of by the inhabitants ; and Andrew Jack- 
son's mother and himself were among the most active 
and humane in this labour of love and patriotism. 

Chnton's two other detachments saw no enemy on 
their march ; but they received the submission of the 
inhabitants, who either gave their paroles to the com- 
manding officers, or took the oath of allegiance. 

The events which succeeded the massacre at the 
Waxhaws, are thus described by Lee : 

" The calm which succeeded this sweeping success 
of the enemy continued uninterrupted ; and Cornwallis, 
shortly after Buford's defeat, advanced a corps of 
light infantry to the Waxhaw settlement, inhabited by 

*"By the official report, 113 were killed, 150 so badly wounded 
as to be paroled on the ground, most of whom died, and 53 being 
capable of moving, graced the entry of the sanguinary corps into 
Camden, at which place Lord Cornwallis had arrived. In the an- 
nals of our Indian wars, nothing is to be found more shocking; and 
this bloody day only wanted the war-dance and the roasting fire to 
have placed it in the records of torture and death in the west." — Lee^s 
Memoirs. 



28 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

citizens whose love of country remained unshaken 
even by these shocks. 

" This settlement is so called from the Waxhaw 
creek, which passes through it, and empties itself mto 
the Catawba. Brigadier Rutherford, of North Caro- 
lina, hearing of the advance of this corps, assembled 
eight hundred of the militia, with a determination to 
protect the country. His troops can scarcely be said 
to have been armed ; they generally had fowling pieces 
instead of muskets and bayonets, pewter instead of 
lead, w ith a very trifling supply of powder. Informa- 
tion of this assemblage being sent to Camden, the Bri- 
tish detachment was recalled, and this valued settle- 
ment, rich in soil, and abounding in produce, was for 
this time happily released. Tlie repose which the dis- 
trict enjoyed, in consequence of the abandonment of 
the station at the Waxhaw s, was of short duration. 
So ardent was the zeal of the disaflected, and so per- 
suaded were they that the rebellion in the south was 
crushed, that their desire to manifest their loyalty 
could not be repressed. 

"A large body of loyalists collected under Colonel 
Moore, at Armsaour's Mill, on the 22d of June; 
among whom were many who had not only taken the 
oath of allegiance to the state, but had served in arms 
against the British army. Rutherford lost no time in 
taking his measures to bring Moore to submission. 
But so destitute was he of ammunition, that only three 
hundred men could be prepared for the field. This 
detachment was intrusted to Colonel Locke, who was 
ordered to approach the enemy and watch his motions, 
while Rutherford continued to exert himself in pro- 



AFFAIR AT ARMSAOUR'S MILL. 29 

curing amis for the main body to follow, under his own 
direction. 

Moore, finding an inferior force near to him, deter- 
mined to attack it, in which decision he was gallantly 
anticipated by Locke, who perceiving the enemy's pur- 
pose, and knowing the hazard of retreat, fell upon 
Moore in his camp. Captain Fall, with the horse, led, 
and rushing suddenly, sword in hand, into the midst 
of the insurgents, threw them into confusion, which 
advantage Locke pressed forward to improve, when 
he suspended the falling blow in consequence of Co- 
lonel Moore proposing a truce for an hour, with the 
view of amicable adjustment. During the negotiation, 
Moore and his associates dispersed, which appears to 
have been their sole object in proposing the suspension 
of hostilities. 

The cheering intelligence of the unmolested ad- 
vance of the three detachments to Augusta, Ninety- 
Six, and Camden, the establishment of submission and 
professions of loyalty, which were every where prof- 
fered by the inhabitants, crowned by the destruction 
of Buford, extirpating all continental resistance, con- 
firmed the long indulged persuasions in the breast of 
Sir Henry Clinton, that he had reannexed Georgia 
and South Carolina to the British empire. He now 
determined, as his final act, to bolt doubly his con- 
quest. On the 3d of June he issued his last procla- 
mation, undoing of his own accord a very important 
condition established in his first, without consulting, 
much less receiving, the assent of the party who had 
accepted the terms proffered therein. He declared to 
the inhabitants who had, in pursuance of his pledged 



30 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 




Sir Henry Clintdii. 



faith, taken parole, that with the exception of the mi- 
htia surrendered at Ciiarleston, such paroles were not 
binding after the 20th of the month, and that persons 
so situated should be considered as liege subjects, and 
thenceforward be entitled to all the rights, and sub- 
jected to all the duties of this new state ; not forgetting 
to denounce the pains and penalties of rebellion 
against those who should withhold due allegiance to 
the royal government. This arbitrary change of an 



CORNWALLIS SUCCEEDS CLINTON. 31 

understood contract affected deeply and afflicted 
sorely all to whom it applied ; and it was in conse- 
quence, as its injustice merited, fatal to the bright 
prospect, so gratifying to the British general. It de- 
monstrated unequivocally that the hoped for state of 
neutrality was illusory, and that every man capable 
of bearing arms, must use them in aid or in opposi- 
tion to the country of his birth. In the choice to be 
made, no hesitation existed in the great mass of the 
people ; for " our country " w as the general acclaim. 
The power of the enemy smothered for a while this 
kindling spirit ; but the mine was prepared ; the train 
was laid; and nothing remained but to apply the 
match to produce the explosion. Sir Henry Clinton, 
having secured the conquered state, as he fondly be- 
lieved, embarked on the 6th with the greater part of 
his army for New York, leaving Cornwallis with four 
thousand regulars to prosecute the reduction of the 
Southern States. Succeeding Clinton in his civil, as 
well as military powers, his lordship was called from 
the field for the purpose of establishing the many ar- 
rangements which the altered condition of the state 
required. Commercial regulations became necessary, 
and a system of police for the government of the in- 
terior was indispensable. 

Previous to his departure from Camden, he had 
advanced a body of Highlanders, under Major M' Ar- 
thur, to Cheraw Hill, on the Pedee, for the purpose 
of preserving in submission the country between that 
river and the Santee, and for communicating readily 
with his friends in North Carohna, especially with the 
Highland settlement at Cross Creek. Through the 



32 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

agency of Major M' Arthur, a regular correspondence 
was established with the loyalists ; they were advised 
of his lordship's determination, as soon as the ap- 
proaching harvest furnished means of subsistence, to 
advance with his amiy into North Carolina, when he 
should count upon their active assistance ; and in the 
meanwhile they were exhorted to continue passive 
under the evils to which they were exposed. At the 
same time, recruiting officers were employed in South 
Carolina and Georgia, by whose exertions the provin- 
cial regiments were considerably augmented. These 
preliminary measures for the invasion of North Caro- 
lina being in execution, his lordship repaired to 
Charleston, leaving Lord Rawdon in command of the 
army. Meanwhile Major Davie returned to the coun- 
ty of Mecklenburgh as soon as he was recovered from 
the wounds received in the attack of Stono, and as- 
sembling some of his faithful associates of that district, 
took the field. 

Hovering near the British posts, he became ac- 
quainted with the intended movement of a convoy, 
with various supplies from Camden, to the enemy's 
post of Hanging Rock, which, amounting only to a 
small company of infantry, was within the power of 
Davie's force. He made a rapid and long march in 
the night, and having eluded the hostile patroles, 
gained the route of the convoy, five miles below Hang- 
ing Rock, before the break of day. Here he halted 
in a concealed position. In a few hours the convoy 
appeared, and Davie, falling vigorously upon it, in- 
stantly overpowered its escort. The wagons and 
stores were destroyed ; the prisoners, forty in number, 



AFFAIR AT HANGING ROCK. 



33 




Lord Rawdoii. 



were mounted on the wagon horses, and escorted by 
the major, were safely brought within our hues. 

About the same time, Captain Huck, of Tarleton's 
legion, had been detached by Lieutenant-Colonel Turn- 
bull, commanding at Hanging Rock, to disperse some 
of the exiles of South Carolina, who had lately re- 
turned to the state, and were collecting in the neigh- 
bourhood of that place to assist in protecting the 
country. The captain, with forty dragoons, twenty 



34 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

mounted infantry, and sixty militia, ventured up the 
country, wliere the exiles he was ordered to disperse, 
attacked and destroyed his detachment. The captain, 
notorious for his cruelties and violence, was killed, as 
were several others, and the rest dispersed. 

After the fall of Charleston, General Gates had 
been summoned from his retreat in Virginia to com- 
mand the southern army. Virginia and North Carolina 
were called upon to hasten reinforcements of militia 
to the south, and the Maryland and Delaware lines, 
under the orders of Major-General Baron De Kalb, 
were put in motion for North Carolina. 

The announcement of these preparations reani- 
mated the patriots of Georgia and Carolina, and the 
smothered discontents growing out of the despotic 
change, dictated by Sir Henry Clinton's last procla- 
mation, with the irritations daily experienced from his 
insolent licentious soldiery, began to burst forth. Lord 
Rawdon drew in M' Arthur from Cheraw Hill, and 
broke up most of his small posts, dispersed through- 
out the country, concentrating the British in the 
positions of Augusta, Ninety-Six, and Camden. 

Previous to this measure, the disaffected of North 
Carolina, forgetting the salutary caution of Lord 
Cornwallis, and sore under the necessary vigilance of 
the state government, had imbodied with the determi- 
nation to force their way into the British camp. This 
ill-advised insurrection was speedily crushed, as we 
have seen in the case of Colonel Moore ; but Colonel 
Bryan had the address to keep together eight hundred 
of his followers, and to conduct them safely to the 



GATESJOINSDEKALB. 35 

post at Cheraw Hill, although actively pursued by- 
General Rutherford. 

Meanwhile Baron De Kalb reached Hillsborough 
in North Carolina, and after leaving it was joined on 
the 25th of July by General Gates. Their force now 
amounted to fifteen hundred men. The mihtia of 
North Carolina and Virginia had not yet joined them ; 
and Colonel Porterfield, with four hundred men, was 
still on the confines of South Carolina. Colonel 
White and Captain Washington, after the fall of 
Charleston, had retired to North Carolina, to recruit 
their regiments of cavalry. They solicited General 
Gates's aid ; but he paid no attention to their request ; 
and in the sequel suflfered severely for this error. His 
disregard of Baron De Kalb's advice as to the route 
of the army was equally unfortunate. Instead of a 
circuitous march through a rich and fertile country, 
he chose to pass by a shorter route through a sterile 
and thinly-settled region, and exposed the troops to 
much suffering from want and sickness. 

Gates's advance to South Carolina roused the con- 
cealed patriots into action. In the country between 
Pedee and Santee, the spirit of resistance to British 
tyranny manifested itself openly. Major M' Arthur, 
when retiring from Cheraw Hill, had availed himself 
of the river to transport his sick to Georgetown, at 
which place there was a British post. Colonel Mills, 
with a party of militia, formed the escort for the sick. 
As soon as the boats had reached a proper distance 
from M' Arthur, the militia rose upon their colonel, 
who with difficulty escaped, made prisoners of the sick, 
and conveyed them safely into North Carolina. 



36 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

In the district lying between Camden and Ninety- 
Six, the same spirit was evinced. A Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Lyle, who, in pursuance of Clinton's proclamation, 
had exchanged his parole for a certificate of his being 
a liege subject, led a great portion of the regiment to 
which he belonged, with their arms and accoutre- 
ments, to the frontiers, where they were added to the 
recruits assembling to join Gates's army. Marion 
was scouring the country between the Pedee and 
Santee rivers ; Sumpter the region between Camden 
and Ninety-Six; and Pickens that between Ninety- 
Six and Augusta. 

With Marion on his right, and Sumpter on his 
left, and General Gates approaching in front. Lord 
Rawdon, discerning the critical event at hand, took 
his measures accordingly. He not only called in his 
outposts, but drew from the garrison of Ninety-Six 
four companies of light infantry, and made known to 
Lord Cornwallis the menacing attitude of his enemy. 

Sumpter commenced his inroads upon the British 
territory by assaulting, on the 1st of August, the post 
of Rocky Mount, in the charge of Lieutenant-Colonel 
Turnbull, with a small garrison of one hundred and 
fifty of the New York volunteers, and some South 
Carolina militia. The brigadier, attended by the 
colonels Lacy, Erwine, and Neale, having each col- 
lected some of their militia, repaired, on the 30th of 
July, to Major Davie, who still continued near the 
enemy, and was now encamped on the north of the 
Waxhaws creek, for the purpose of concerting a joint 
assault upon some of the British outposts. They 
were led to hasten the execution of this step, fearing 



DAVIE ATTACKS THE LOYALISTS. 37 

that by delay their associates might disperse without 
having effected any thing. After due deliberation, 
they came to the resolution of carrying the posts of 
Rocky Mount and Hanging Rock in succession. The 
first of these is situated on the west side of the Ca- 
tawba, thirty miles from Camden, and the last was 
established on the east side of the same river, twenty 
four miles from Camden. They are distant from 
each other twelve miles. 

Sumpter, having under him the three colonels, ad- 
vanced with the main body upon Rocky Mount ; while 
Major Davie, with his corps and a part of the Meck- 
lenburgh militia, under Colonel Heaggins, marched to 
Hanging Rock, to watch the motions of the garrison, 
to procure exact intelligence of the condition of the 
post, and to be ready to unite with Sumpter in the 
intended blow. 

Rocky Mount station is fixed on the comb of a 
lofty eminence, encircled by open woods. This sum- 
mit was surrounded by a small ditch and abattis, in 
the centre of which were erected three log buildings, 
constructed to protect the garrison in battle, and per- 
forated with loop-holes for the annoyance of the 
assailants. 

As Davie got near to Hanging Rock, he learned 
that three companies of Bryan's loyalists, part of the 
garrison, were just returning from an excursion, and 
had halted at a neighbouring farm-house. He drew 
oflf; determined to fall upon this party. This was 
handsomely executed, and completely succeeded. 
Eluding the sentinels in one quarter with his infantry, 
and gaining the other point of attack with his horse 



38 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

undiscovered, by marching through some adjoining 
woods, he placed the enemy between these two divi- 
sions, each of which pressed gallantly into action. 

The loyalists, finding their front and rear occupied, 
attempted to escape in a direction believed to be 
open, but were disappointed; the major having de- 
tached thither a party of his dragoons in time to meet 
them. They were all, except a few, killed and 
wounded; and the spoils of victory were safely 
brought oflf, consisting of sixty horses and their trap- 
pings, and one hundred muskets and rifles. 

The brigadier approached Rocky Mount with his 
characteristic impetuosity ; but the British officer was 
found on his guard, and defended himself ably. Three 
times did Sumpter attempt to carry it; but being 
always foiled, having no artillery to batter down the 
houses, he drew oflf undisturbed by the garrison, hav- 
ing lost a few of his detachment, with Colonel Neale, 
an active, determined, influential officer, and retired 
to his frontier position on the Catawba. Here he 
rested no longer than was necessary to recruit his 
corps, refresh his horses, and provide a part of the 
provisions necessary to support him on his next excur- 
sion. Quitting his retreat with his brave associates, 
Davie, Irvine, Hill, and Lacy, he darted upon the 
British line of communications, and fell on the post at 
Hanging Rock, (6th of August), which was held by 
Major Carden with five hundred men, consisting of 
one hundred and fifty of the infantry of Tarleton's 
legion, a part of Colonel Brown's regiment, and Bry- 
an's North Carolina corps, a portion of which had a 
few days before been cut to pieces by Major Davie. 



ATTACK ON HANGING ROCK. 39 

His attack was, through the error of his guides, 
pointed at the corps of Bryan, which, being surprised, 
soon yielded and took to flight. Sumpter pressed 
with ardour the advantage he had gained, and bore 
down upon the legion infantry, which was forced. He 
then fell upon Brown's detachment. Here he was re- 
ceived upon the point of the bayonet. The contest 
grew fierce, and the issue doubtful ; but at length the 
corps of Brown fell back, having lost nearly all its 
officers, and a great proportion of its soldiers. 

Hamilton's regiment, with the remains of Brown's, 
and the legion infantry, now formed in the centre of 
their position, a hollow square. 

Sumpter advanced with the determination to strike 
this last point of resistance ; but the ranks of the 
militia had become disordered, and the men scattered 
from success, and from the plunder of part of the 
British camp, so that only two hundred infantry, and 
Davie's dragoons, could be brought into array. The 
musketry opened ; but their fire was ineffectual ; nor 
could Sumpter, by all his exertions, again bring his 
troops to risk close action against his well-posted 
enemy, supported by two pieces of artillery. 

The cavalry under Davie fell upon a body of the 
loyalists, who, having rallied, had formed in the oppo- 
site quarter, and menaced our right flank. They 
were driven from their ground, and took shelter under 
the British infantry, still in hollow square. 

The spoils of the camp, and the free use of spirits 
in which the enemy abounded, had for some time at- 
tracted and incapacitated many of our soldiers. It 
was therefore determined to retreat with the prisoners 



40 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

and booty. This was done about twelve o'clock, 
very leisurely, in the face of the enemy, who did not 
attempt interruption, so severely had he suffered. A 
party was now for the first time seen drawn up on 
the Camden road, with the appearance of renewal 
of the contest ; but on the approach of Davie it fell 
back. Our loss was not ascertained, from the usual 
inattention to returns prevalent with militia officers, 
many of our wounded having been immediately car- 
ried home from the field of battle. The corps of 
Davie suflfered most. Captain M'Clure, of South 
Carolina, and Captain Reed, of North Carolina, were 
killed; Colonel Hill, Major Winn, and Lieutenant 
Crawford, were wounded, as were Captain Craighead, 
Lieutenant Flenchau, and Ensign M'Clure, of North 
Carolina. The British loss exceeded ours. Captain 
M'Cullock, who commanded the legion infantry with 
much personal honour, and two other officers, and 
twenty men of the same corps, were killed, and nearly 
forty wounded. Many officers and men of Brown's 
regiment were also killed and wounded, and some 
taken. 

Bryan's loyalists were less hurt, having dispersed 
as soon as pressed. The error of the guides, which 
deranged the plan of attack, the allurements of the 
spoils found in the enemy's camp, and the indulgence 
in the use of liquor, deprived Sumpter of the victory 
once within his grasp, and due to the zeal, gallantry, 
and perseverance of himself and officers. 

The battle of Hanging Rock was the first in which 
Andrew Jackson was engaged. The family had re- 
tired into North Carolina, on Lord Rawdon's advance 



BATTLE OF CAMDEN. . 4l 

to the Waxhaw settlement, and had returned on his 
retiring to Camden. Andrew and his brother Robert 
had joined Davie's corps, a short time before the bat- 
tle. For a boy of thirteen this was rather rough 
work ; but this and the scenes at Waxhaw, served to 
inure him to the habits of a warrior, and to impress 
vividly on his mind the character of the enemy with 
whom he was so frequently to deal in his subsequent 
career. 

Although General Gates's expedition had set out 
early in the spring, it was the beginning of August 
before he could approach Camden, with about four 
thousand men, mostly mihtia. He advanced in the 
determination to push vigorously offensive operations, 
hoping to induce Lord Rawdon to fall back upon 
Charleston. That officer, however, had given notice 
to Cornwallis, who hastened to the spot ; and though 
the troops, from disease and other causes, had been 
reduced to little more than two thousand, he resolved 
without hesitation to attack. He had set out in the 
night of the 15th, with a view to surprise the Ameri- 
cans, when, by a singular occurrence, he met Gates, 
in full march, with the same design against himself. 
The advanced guard of the latter was driven in, when 
both parties thought it advisable to postpone the 
general action till daylight. 

In the American line, De Kalb, with most of the 
regulars, commanded on the right, while the militia 
of Carolina formed the centre, and that of Virginia 
the left. The conflict began with the last, who were 
attacked by the British infantry under Colonel Web- 
ster, with such impetuosity, that they threw down 



42 



SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 




Lord Coruwallis. 



their arms and precipitately fled. The whole of the 
left and centre were very speedily off* the field, few 
having fired a shot, and still fewer carrying away a 
musket. Gates was borne along by the torrent, and 
after vain attempts to rally his men, gave up all for 
lost, and never stopped till he reached Charlotte, 
eighty miles distant. Meanwhile, De Kalb, on the 
right, opposed to Lord Rawdon, long and firmly main- 
tained his ground, gaining even some advantage ; and 



TARLETON SURPRISES SUMPTER. 43 

it was not till the victorious divisions had wheeled 
round against him, that his corps was broken and dis- 
persed. He himself, covered with wounds, became a 
captive, and, notwithstanding every care, expired in a 
few hours. 

About one. thousand prisoners were taken, and the 
whole army scattered. Gates seems manifestly to 
have erred in fighting a pitched battle with an army 
consisting chiefly of militia; and Tarleton particularly 
censures him for having composed of them so great a 
part of his regular line, instead of merely employing 
them to skirmish on his front and flanks ; but, in fact, 
his veteran force seems to have scarcely sufficed for 
a duly extended order of battle.* 

Colonel Sumpter, on the evening before the battle 
of Camden, succeeded in carrying a strong redoubt, 
on the Wateree, taking above one hundred prisoners. 
On learning the fatal issue of that day, he instantly 
began his retreat, and reached with such celerity the 
fords of the Catawba, that he considered himself safe, 
and allowed his men to repose during the heat of the 
day. But nothing could escape the indefatigable 
ardour of Tarleton, who had been sent in pursuit. 
His rapidity was such that the greater part of his 
corps could not follow him, from fatigue ; but with 
one hundred and sixty only he came up, and found 
Sumpter completely unprepared, his videttes asleep, 
and the men lying apart from their arms. Roused 
from slumber by the attack of this daring little band, 
they scarcely attempted resistance ; and after a short 

* Marshall — Tarleton. 



44 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

struggle, about half were captured, the others dis- 
persed. They lost one hundred and fifty killed and 
wounded, besides three hundred and ten prisoners; 
all their stores were taken, and the British captives 
recovered. 

Cornwallis, having thus become master of a consi- 
derable number of prisoners, proceeded against them 
with rigour ; several, who had joined the British 
militia and then deserted to the Americans, were 
executed as traitors. 

After a few weeks' delay, on account of the heat, 
the British general advanced to Charlotte Town, in 
North Carolina. Meanwhile, a corps of about six- 
teen hundred loyal militia having been assembled, 
under Major Ferguson, an active partisan, he was 
directed to move westward, and clear the territory 
along the foot of the mountains. He was led farther 
in this direction by the movements of a hostile party 
which threatened Augusta, where he approached and 
roused into action a class, who were always re- 
cognised as terrible foes to the British cause. The 
borderers who roved along the sides of the Alleghany, 
were, if possible, ruder and bolder than the boys of 
the Green Mountain. They rode on light, fleet 
horses, carrying only their rifle, a blanket, and knap- 
sack. Food was procured by the gun, or on its occa- 
sional failure, from a small herd of cattle, driven 
behind them. At night, the earth was their bed, the 
sky their canopy. They thus moved with a swiftness 
which no ordinary troops could rival. 

Ferguson, having learned that about three thousand 
of these daring mountaineers had mustered against 



BATTLE OF KING'S MOUNTAIN. 45 

him, began a rapid retreat upon the main body ; but 
being informed that sixteen hundred of the fleetest 
and boldest had been formed into a select band in 
chase of him, and seeing the hopelessness of escaping 
their almost preternatural swiftness, he took post on 
King's Mountain, and awaited their attack. They 
came up on the 7th of October, and began to ascend 
the mountain in three divisions. Ferguson charired 
the first, and drove it back with the bayonet ; and 
wherever this weapon could be used, he was victori- 
ous ; but the assailants clustered round on every side, 
and from beneath the covert of trees and steeps, dis- 
charged their rifles with almost unerring aim. The 
British soon began to fall in great numbers, and when 
their commander himself received a mortal wound, the 
whole party were routed, three hundred killed and 
wounded, and the rest completely dispersed. In re- 
taliation of Cornwalhs's proceedings at Camden, ten 
of the principal captives were hanged on the spot. 

While these events were transpiring, Mrs. Jackson 
and her sons were in North Carolina, whither, in 
company with many other families from the Waxhaw 
neighbourhood, they had retired, subsequently to the 
battle of Camden ; the summary proceedings of Corn- 
walhs after that event rendering it impracticable for 
those families who were determined not to become 
British subjects to remain in South Carolina. This 
voluntary exile is one among the numerous evidences 
of resolution and spirit exhibited by the mother of 
Jackson. 

Cornwalhs, meantime, had pushed on fo Sahsbury, 
approaching Virginia; and in expectation of his 



46 



SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 




Removal of Ihe Waxliaw settlers. 



reaching that state, a reinforcement destined for him, 
mider General Leshe, was ordered to enter the Chesa- 
peake. Learning, however, that Ferguson had been 
defeated at King's Mountain, and fearing that the 
patriots might overrun and spread insurrection in 
South Carohna, he judged it necessary to fall back 
upon that colony ; and Leslie was instructed to join 
by the circuitous route of Charleston. The alarm 
leading to this retrograde movement proved in a great 
measure unfounded. The people, roused by a local 
impulse, having accomplished their immediate- object, 
could not be prevented from dispersing, and the parti- 
san warfare was continued by only two small bodies. 
Marion, though holding together only from fifty 
to two hundred men, severely harassed the British, 
keeping himself so well covered by woods and 
marshes, that even Tarleton could not hunt him down. 
Sumpter too, after receiving a check from that officer. 



GREENE SUCCEEDS GATES. 47 

had again assembled a considerable corps of mounted 
militia, and threatened some important posts. His 
former enemy not being at hand, Major Wemyss was 
employed, and soon 'came up with him; but being 
early wounded, and his troops unskilled in this species 
of warfare, he suffered a severe repulse; It was then 
necessary to have recourse to Tarleton, and give him 
a considerable force. Using his accustomed despatch, 
he had nearly got in the rear of his adversary, who, 
as soon as he learned to whom he was opposed, hur- 
ried by rapid marches to the Tyger, whose rapid 
stream once passed, would secure his retreat. Tarle- 
ton, seeing that with his whole force he could not be 
in time to prevent this movement, adopted his former 
plan of pushing forward with two hundred and fifty 
cavalry and mounted infantry. He found his oppo- 
nent strongly posted on the bank of the river, and 
with his wonted promptitude rushed forward to the 
attack. The conflict, however, was obstinate and 
bloody, and Tarleton was finally obliged, with con- 
siderable loss, to fall back on his infantry. Sumpter 
then crossed the river ; but being wounded in the ac- 
tion himself, and rendered incapable of service for 
some months, his opponent reaped the fruits of the 
victory. 

Gates, meantime, used diligent exertions to collect 
and reorganize the remains of his defeated army ; 
and Congress, amid every difficulty, forwarded to him 
reinforcements. His defeat at Camden, however, be- 
ing regarded as the effect of his own imprudence, 
Congress removed him from the command, and ap- 
pointed General Greene to succeed him. 



48 



SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 




General Greene. 



When Greene arrived, on the 2d of December, the 
army had been raised to nearly two thousand men, 
of whom the larger number were regulars. Deter- 
mining by some movement to support the cause in 
South Carolina, he detached General Morgan, a very 
able partisan officer, to take post on the Broad River, 
and endeavour to cut off Cornwallis, then at Winns- 
borough, from the upper country. He had about 
six hundred men, with the expectation of assembling 



BATTLE OF cow PENS. 49 

more in the district. On learning this movement, 
Tarleton was immediately despatched with one thou- 
sand men to resist the inroad. 

The x4merican general at first abandoned his camp, 
and began a rapid retreat ; but, finding tiiis difficult, 
and his force being nearly equal, he resolved to await 
the attack at Cowpens, a spot three miles from the 
boundary of the Carolinas. Avoiding the fault of 
Gates, he disposed his militia in front, keeping in re- 
serve a chosen body, on whom he could fully depend. 

On the 17th of January, Tarleton came up, and 
immediately rushed to the charge. The first Ameri- 
can hne was soon broken, and hastily retreated into 
the rear of the second, which was then attacked and 
thrown into some confusion, when Morgan ordered 
the men to fall back and unite with the reserve. 
This movement was mistaken for a flight by the 
assailants, who pushed on exultingly, in somewhat 
irregular order. 

Suddenly, the Americans, having fully adjusted 
their line, halted, wheeled round, and commenced a 
destructive fire on their pursuers, who, being seen to 
falter, a charge was made with the bayonet, and by 
the cavalry with their drawn swords. After a short 
contest, the lately victorious British were completely 
routed, and the whole infantry surrounded and obliged 
to surrender. The cavalry escaped by flight; but, 
upwards of three hundred were killed or wounded, 
and five hundred made prisoners. Tarleton declares 
himself quite imable to account for so total a rout. 
He appears in fact to have attacked in his usual im- 
petuous manner, on the calculation of encountering 



50 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

mostly loose militia levies, whereas the greater part 
of the opposing force was veteran ; even two of the 
militia companies consisted of regulars recently dis- 
charged. The British army suffered thus most 
severely, having lost all its light infantry, a corps par- 
ticularly useful in such warfare : nor was it a small 
misfortune for them that the commander considered 
by his countrymen an almost invincible partisan officer 
was thoroughly disgraced by being beaten in a battle 
which, with his regular force, he ought to have won. 

Cornwallis, however, having just received the rein- 
forcement of twenty-six hundred men under Leslie, 
determined to efface the impression of this disaster by 
a series of the most active offensive operations. De- 
stroying all his superfluous baggage, he supplied the 
loss of his light infantry by converting nearly the 
whole of his army into a corps of that description. 
His first hope was to overtake Morgan, and recover 
all that was lost, which he had so nearly effected, that 
his van reached the Catawba, on the 29th of January, 
only two hours after the Americans had passed, when 
a torrent of rain swelled the waters, and rendered it 
impossible for him to follow. 

Greene, who had hastened to take the command, 
hoped to defend the passage of this river ; but it was 
forced on the 1st of February, at a private ford, de- 
fended by Colonel Davidson, who was defeated and 
killed. Tarleton then surprised and dispersed a body 
of militia assembled at a neighbouring inn. 

General Greene considering himself wholly unable 
to hazard a battle, retreated before his adversary, who 
immediately began a chase, which was continued in 



GREENE'S MASTERLY RETREAT. 51 

cessantly and rapidly across the whole of North Caro- 
lina. On the night of the 2d of February, the two 
divisions of the American army having effected a 
junction, crossed the Yadkin, but so closely followed, 
that their rear skirmished with the van of the enemy, 
and part of the baggage was taken. By another 
favourable chance, heavy rain fell during the night, 
and in the morning rendered the river impassable ; 
so that Cornwalhs was obliged to make a circuit to 
its upper fords, while his opponent continued his re- 
treat. He marched towards the Dan, the chief branch 
of the Roanoke, which flows nearly along the boun- 
dary of Carolina and Virginia. It was a broad, un- 
fordable stream, and Greene, if he reached the other 
side, would be in safety ; but the pursuit was con- 
tinued, in the confident hope of his being unable to 
find vessels sufficient to transport over his troops. 
This was indeed the case at the ferry immediately 
before him ; but by an able movement, he led his 
army twenty miles downward to two others, sending 
a detachment to bring the boats from the upper one. 
He thus collected a sufficient number, and by extraor- 
dinary exertions, had his army ferried over, his rear 
reaching the northern bank just as the English van 
appeared on the southern. 

This march was considered highly creditable to 
Greene, who gained great applause, on account of his 
disadvantageous situation, ffeeing before a superior 
enemy, who pursued with such rapidity, yet plncing in 
safety not only his army but the greater part of his 
heavy baggage. 

Cornwalhs now gave up the pursuit, and repaired 

& 



52 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

to Hillsborough, with the view of calling out and or- 
ganizing the royalist force. On the other hand, 
Greene, having obtained a reinforcement of Virginia 
militia, repassed the Dan, and with his light troops 
endeavoured to annoy the British army, and prevent 
recruiting. Major Lee surprised a detachment of 
royalists, who mistook him for Tarleton, and cut them 
nearly to pieces. 

On account of the exhausted state of the country 
at Hillsborough, Cornwallis withdrew to a position on 
the Allimance Creek, between Haw and Deep rivers, 
where he could be better supplied, and support his 
friends, who were there numerous. Greene, however, 
by an active use of his cavalry and light troops, se- 
verely harassed his opponent; and by changing his 
own position every night, eluded the attempt to bring 
him to an eno-ag-ement. 

At length, the American general, having received 
reinforcements, which raised his army to above four 
thousand two hundred men, of whom about a third 
were regulars, determined to offer battle. This was 
what the other had eagerly sought ; his own effective 
force being but twenty-four hundred men; and al- 
though they were chiefly veteran troops, he felt some 
hesitation, and probably would have acted more wisely 
in maintaining the defensive. Even the enterprising 
Tarleton observes, that in his circumstances, defeat 
would have been total ruin, while any victory he 
might expect to gain could yield little fruit. All the 
habits and views of Cornwallis, however, being di- 
rected to an active campaign, he formed his resolution, 
and on the 15th of March, proceeded to the attack. 



BATTLE OF GUILFORD. 53 

Greene had drawn up his army very judiciously 
near Guilford Court-House, mostly on a range of hills 
covered with trees and brushwood. Adopting still 
the system of making the militia bear the first brunt, 
he placed that of Carolina in the front, while the Vir- 
ginian, considered somewhat better, formed the second 
line, and he remained in the third with the continental 
troops, in whom alone he placed full confidence. The 
British, proceeding with impetuosity, and having dri- 
ven in the advanced guard of cavalry, attacked the 
Carolina line, who scarcely discharging their muskets, 
fled precipitately after the first hostile fire, and many 
even before. This front having given way, the 
next movement was against the Virginians, who stood 
their ground with firmness, and kept up their fire till 
ordered to retreat. The assailants then advanced 
against the third line ; but the regiments having expe- 
rienced different degrees of resistance, came on impe- 
tuously in an uneven line and some disorder. Greene 
then felt sanguine hopes that a steady charge from his 
chosen troops would turn the fortune of the day. He 
was dismayed to see the second Maryland regiment 
give way at once, after which he thought only of re- 
tiring, but Colonel Gunby, at the head of the first, 
gained a decided advantage over the corps under Co- 
lonel Stewart, and there followed an obstinate and 
somewhat desultory contest between the different 
corps, after which the Americans were compelled to a 
general retreat. Yet, a strong body of riflemen on 
the left flank kept up a galling fire, till Tarleton with 
the cavalry drove them off the field. In this hard- 
fought battle the Americans own a loss of three hun- 



54 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

dred continentals and one hundred militia killed and 
wounded. Cornwallis kept the field, but notwithstand- 
ing, the British interest in North Carolina was that 
day ruined. 

The British lost in the battle of Guilford five hun- 
dred and thirty-two men in killed and wounded, inclu- 
dinij two of their best officers, and reducing their ef- 
fective force below fifteen hundred. Although Corn- 
wallis claimed the victory, he was obliged to fall back 
upon Wilmington, a step which involved the abandon- 
ment of North Carolina. Greene consequently re- 
solved to carry the war into South Carolina; and 
Cornwallis proceeded towards Virginia, where he was 
destined to close his military career in America by 
the surrender of Yorktown. 

In February, Mrs. Jackson and her family returned 
from North Carolina to the homestead in Waxhaw. 
This was a bold step, considering that Camden, not 
far from her residence, was held by a British garrison, 
and that the whole country, in every direction, was 
infested with British marauders and Tories, who car- 
ried on the war in a spirit of extermination, plunder- 
ing and killing the inhabitants, without respect to age 
or sex. 

No family could go to rest without serious appre- 
hensions of being assailed in the night by these ruth- 
less enemies, who, in many cases put all to the sword 
who could bear arms, and after ransacking and pilla- 
ging the house, set it on fire, and left the women and 
children to seek shelter where they could. " The 
spectacle," says a British writer, " of women of the 
first distinction fleeing with their famihes in a state 



;" REBEL LADIES." 55 

of total destitution, excited public sympathy. It was 
unfortunate for Britain that the fair sex strongly shared 
these feelings, and many warmly espoused the pat- 
riotic cause, glorying even in the title of " rebel la- 
dies." 

Mrs. Jackson was one of these rebel ladies, des- 
tined to exhibit the most heroic devotion to the cause, 
and to lay down her life at the altar of patriotism. 
Her sons shared her feelings ; and, young as they were, 
accustomed themselves to sleep upon their arms, ready 
to resist a midnight attack of the Tories. Their tender 
age did not prevent them from joining in the measures 
for protection and defence to which all able-bodied 
men were driven by the stress of tlie times. They 
were often attached to the patroles which were under 
arms in the neighbourhood through the night. Their 
conduct on these occasions is thus described by Mr. 
Garland. 

" At the age of thirteen, Andrew Jackson was not, 
like the boys of our day, engaged in some school or 
academy, learning Greek and Latin, and mathematics, 
storing his mind with knowledge, and preparing himself 
for future usefulness. He was in the field, not in the 
corn-field or wheat-field, reaping the fruits of honest 
industry, but in the battle-field, fighting in defence of 
his country. 

" The boy of thirteen, with sword and gun, rode 
by the side of Marion, and Davie, and Sumpter, re- 
nowned leaders, whose deeds of daring are familiar 
to the youngest child that hears me. Those heroic 
men, by their valour and fortitude, filled the world 
with admiration, and called back in imagination the 



56 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

age of chivalry and romance, yet they did not surpass 
the heroism and fortitude of their youthful companion. 
It was no common war in which he was called to en- 
gage, in the Waxhaw Settlement. It was a civil war, 
indeed — a war of extermination, in which neighbour 
practised on neighbour such deeds of cruelty as would 
have put the Creeks or Cherokees to shame. Those 
who in former days had set in the shadow of his mo- 
ther's door, broken bread at her hospitable board, and 
spoken words of kindness to her widowed heart, now 
sought to wrap her humble dwelling in flames, and to 
take the life of her fatherless children. The patriot 
soldier dared not visit his own home, and seek an 
hour's repose in the bosom of his family, without a 
body-guard to protect him from the assault of his Tory 
neighbours. On one such occasion, Andrew Jackson 
and his brother Robert, with four or five others, vo- 
lunteered to stand guard for Captain Sands, while he 
sought a night's repose with his family. At midnight, 
when all were asleep, having no immediate apprehen- 
sions of an attack, a party of Tories, divided into pla- 
toons, approached the house in front and rear. One 
wakeful soldier, hearing a noise, went out and saw the 
party approaching in front. Running back in terror, 
he seized Jackson by the hair, exclaiming, ' The To- 
ries are upon us !' 

" Jackson sprang up, ran out to the front door, and 
challenged the approaching party. Again he chal- 
lenged — but no answer — he fired — his fire was re- 
turned by a volley from the whole platoon. The sol- 
dier by his side fell dead — he retreated to the door, 
and with two others defended it to the last extremity. 



DEFIES THE BRITISH OFFICER. 57 

Both his companions fell ; but he stood unhurt, fight- 
ing to the last. A fortunate circumstance caused the 
enemy to retreat, and the young hero had the satis- 
faction to know that his promptness and valour had 
saved his friend from assassination, and the family 
and property of his friend from insult and destruction. 
Delightful foretaste of that greater bliss which was to 
fill his joyful heart, when in his triumphal inarch he 
trod upon roses scattered in his path by the rescued 
maidens of New Orleans ! 

"On another occasion, when a band of patriots 
were waiting at the Waxhaw meeting-house for some 
of their companions, they saw a party approaching 
that they took to be friends ; but, on a nearer view, 
discovered them to be Tories in citizens' dress, with a 
body of British dragoons in rear. Many by this strat- 
agem were captured. But Robert and Andrew Jack- 
son, light boys with brave hearts, on fleet horses made 
their escape through the woods and swamps. They 
stayed out all night, and on entering a house next day 
in search of something to eat, were surrounded by the 
dragoons and taken prisoners. While there, a British 
officer, a disgrace to his name and profession, de- 
manded of Andrew Jackson to perform an ignomi- 
nious office ; which he indignantly refused. Boys ! 
what would you have done in this situation ? A help- 
less captive, in the hands of ruthless soldiers — an in- 
solent officer, with bent brows and uplifted sword de- 
manding of you to clean his boots — what would you 
have done? In such helplessness, and with such 
threatening danger overhanging you, would you not 
have slunk away, and quietly cleaned the mud from 



58 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 




Jackson defying the British officer. 



the boots of your insolent captor ? Not so Andrew 
Jackson ! Boy as he was — defenceless as he was, he 
scornfully refused ; demanding to be treated with re- 
spect due to a prisoner of war and a gentleman. Did 
tiie British officer receive with admiration that act of 
heroism, and extend a hand of forgiveness to the 
youthful hero ? He struck a violent blow at his head ! 
Jackson, throwing up his left arm, received the stroke 
that was aimed at his life. The arm was broken, but 
the heroic life was saved, to chastise in after years, 
that act of British tyranny and insolence. 

" The same ignominious task was now required of 
Robert. He with equal spirit refused, and received a 
sabre-stroke on his head, which not many weeks after- 
wards proved fatal to his life. Those two w ounded 
boys w^ere marched to Camden; not a mouthful of 



JACKSON A PRISONER. 59 

food or a drop of water was given them by the way. 
The brutal savages, with British uniforms on their 
backs, refused them even the privilege of slaking 
their fevered thirst by scooping up water in their 
hands as they rode across the river! Arriving at 
Camden, they, with a multitude of others, were thrust 
into prison. No attention was paid to their wounds 
or to their wants. They had no beds, nor any sub- 
stitute — their only food was a scanty supply of bad 
bread. They were robbed of their clothing, taunted 
by Tories with being rebels, and assured that they 
would be hanged. Andrew Jackson was stripped of 
his jacket and shoes, and separated from his brother 
so soon as their relationship was known. The small- 
pox made its appearance among the prisoners. No 
step was taken to stay its progress, or mitigate its ra- 
vages. Denied the attention of physician or nurse, 
they were left to perish, without sympathy or compas- 
sion. In this state of things, Andrew Jackson fell in- 
to conversation with the officers of the guard, described 
the condition of the prisoners, and remonstrated against 
the treatment they had received. A boy not yet four- 
teen years of age, who had proved that he neither feared 
the sword nor the insolence of power, now dared, in a 
dungeon surrounded with disease, squalor, and death, 
to confront his stern keepers, and in the honest and 
simple eloquence of youth, tell the truth to ears most 
unwilling to hear it. Heroic lad ! how my soul yearns 
over thee ! and even in sadness rejoiceth that human 
nature, with all its vileness, is endowed with so much 
of the God-like ! How I long, bold youth ! to take 
thee in my arms, and from the light of thine eyes and 
9 



60 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

the proud swell of thy bosom, draw some inspirations 
of the divine nature that fills thee ! 

" Hearing in her loneliness of the capture and con- 
finement of her sons, Mrs. Jackson hastened down to 
Camden to minister to their wants and rescue them 
from captivity. What a spectacle to a fond mother ! 
Both infected with the small-pox — both emaciated to 
skeletons, and almost naked ! By the kind assistance 
of an American officer, she effected an exchange of 
prisoners, with her sons included in the number, and 
immediately started home with her melancholy charge. 

" There were but two horses for the whole com- 
pany. Mrs. Jackson rode on one — on the other Ro- 
bert was held by his companions, while Andrew walked 
barefooted and half-clad. They journeyed forty miles 
through a desolate country, and before reaching home 
a drenching rain drove in the small-pox on both boys. 
In a few days, Robert breathed his last — Andrew be- 
came delirious, and remained for some time in a hope- 
less condition. By the constant care of a good Sa- 
maritan, he was at length restored, the only son of his 
widowed mother ! 

" But this saint-like woman was not content with 
the rescue of her own children. No sooner was her 
now only son restored to life, than she hastened down 
to Charleston to minister to the wants of her country- 
men, confined in the prison-ships there — whose suflfer- 
ings and privations were only surpassed by the poor 
wretches crammed into the middle passage of an Af- 
rican slave-ship. She went — accomplished her mission 
of mercy — but never returned. Seized with the prison 
fever on her way back, she fell by the way-side, and 



JACKSON LOSES HIS MOTHER. 61 

was buried no mortal knows where. Andrew Jackson 
never knew where to find his mother's grave — never 
knew where to pour out his orphan tears on the sense- 
less clod that covered the remains of all that was dear 
to him on earth ! Hapless was his fate ! A father's 
care he never knew — his eldest brother long since 
gone — Robert murdered — and his mother now a vic- 
tim to the cruelties of the same ruthless enemy. Like 
Logan, or " The ancient mariner," far out at sea, with 
his companions all dead, could he exclaim — 

" Alone ! alone, all, all alone ! 
Alone on the wide, wide sea !" 

But he was not alone. There was a God that over- 
ruled his destiny — that set him apart and ordained 
him as a fit instrument to accomplish his divine pur- 
poses in the history of man. He had no father, like 
Hannibal, to lead him to the altar of his country and 
make him swear eternal hostility to Roman power. 
But in the depths of his orphan heart, and in the pre- 
sence of the God that guided his footsteps, did he 
swear eternal vengeance against that modern Rome, 
whose iron heel for centuries had trodden out the 
spirit of his fatherland, who had sought to subjugate 
the land of his birth, the refuge of the oppressed, and 
had steeped his murderous sword in the blood of his 
own kindred !" 

It was while Andrew Jackson was a prisoner at 
Camden, that he witnessed General Greene's engage- 
ment with Lord Rawdon. The first encounter took 
place at Hobkirk's Hill, near Camden, on the 25th of 
April, and ended in the defeat of the Americans ; but 



62 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

did not change materially the relative situation of 
the armies. Greene could still maintain his position 
and support the detachments of Lee, Marion and 
Sumpter, which were operating in the rear of Lord 
Rawdon's army. 

Lee and Marion proceeded first against Fort Wat- 
son on the Santee, which commanded in a great mea- 
sure the communication with Charleston. Having 
neither artillery or besieging tools, they reared a tow- 
er above the level of the rampart, whence their rifle 
fire drove the defenders, and themselves then mounted 
compelled the garrison to surrender. They could 
not, however, prevent Colonel Watson from leading 
five hundred men to reinforce Lord Rawdon, who then 
advanced with the intention of brinorinor Greene aofain 
to action ; but found him fallen back upon so strong a 
position, as to afford no reasonable hope of success. 
His lordship finding his convoys intercepted, and view- 
ing the generally insecure state of his posts in the lower 
country, considered himself under at least the tem- 
porary necessity of retreating thither. He had first 
in view the relief of Motte's House on the Congaree ; 
but before reaching it, he had the mortification to find 
that, with the garrison of one hundred and sixty-five, 
it had fallen into the hands of Marion and Lee. He 
continued his march to Monk's Corner, where he co- 
vered Charleston and the surrounding country. 

The partisan chiefs rapidly seized this opportunity 
of attacking the interior posts ; and reduced suc- 
cessively Orangeburg, Granby on the Congaree, and 
Augusta, the key of Upper Georgia. In these five 
forts they made eleven hundred prisoners. The most 



' ATTACK ON NINETY-SIX. 63 

important one, however, was that named Nmety-Six, 
on the Saluda, defended by a garrison of five hundred 
men. Orders had been sent to them to quit and retire 
downwards ; but the messenger was intercepted ; and 
Colonel Cruger, the commander, made the most active 
preparations for its defence. Greene considered this 
place of such importance, that he undertook the siege 
in person, with a thousand regulars. He broke ground 
before it on the night of the 23d of May, and though 
much impeded by a successful sally on the following 
day, proceeded with such energy, that by the 3d of 
June, the second parallel was completed, and the gar- 
rison summoned, but in vain, to surrender. On the 8th 
he was reinforced by Lee, from the capture of Augus- 
ta ; and though he encountered a most gallant and ef- 
fective resistance, trusted that the place must in due 
time fall. Three days after, however, he learned that 
Rawdon, havino- received a reinforcement from Ireland, 
was in full march to relieve it, and had baffled the at- 
tempts of Sumpter to impede his progress. The Ameri- 
can leader, therefore, feeling himself unable to give bat- 
tle, saw no prospect of carrying the fortress, unless by 
storm. On the 18th, an attack against the two most 
commanding outworks was led by Lee and Campbell, 
the former of whom carried his point ; but the latter, 
though he penetrated into the ditch, and maintained 
his party there for three-quarters of an hour, found 
them exposed to so destructive a fire, as compelled a 
general retreat. The siege was immediately raised, 
and Lord Rawdon, on the 21st, entered the place in 
triumph. Being again master of the field, he pressed 
forward in the hope of bringing his antagonist to battle j 



64 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

but the latter rather chose to fall back towards the 
distant point of Charlotte in Virginia, while Rawdon 
did not attempt to pursue him beyond the Ennoree. 

Notwithstanding this present superiority, his lord- 
ship, having failed in his hopes of a decisive victory, 
and viewing the general aspect of the country, con- 
sidered it no longer possible to attempt more than 
covering ■ the lower districts of South Carolina. He 
therefore fell back to Orangeburg on the Edisto ; and 
though he attempted at first to maintain Cruger with 
a strong body at Ninety-Six, was soon induced to re- 
call him. Greene, being reinforced by one thousand 
men under Marion and Sumpter, reconnoitred his po- 
sition, but judged it imprudent to attack ; and both ar- 
mies, exhausted by such a series of active movements, 
took an interval of repose during the heat of the season. 

Lord Rawdon, being at this time obliged by ill-health 
to return home, left the army under Colonel Stuart, 
who, to cover the lower country, occupied a position 
at the point where the Congaree and Wateree unite 
in forming the Santee. Greene, having received rein- 
forcements from the north, and collected all his par- 
tisan detachments, found himself strong enough to try 
the chance of battle. His approach with this evident 
view, induced the other party to retire forty miles 
down the river, to the strong post of Eutaw, whither 
the American general immediately followed by slow 
and easy marches. On the 8th of September, the lat- 
ter determined to attack the British camp, placing as 
usual, his militia in front, hoping that the English, in 
beating and pursuing them, would at least get into 
confusion; but from this very dread, the latter had 



BATTLE OF EUTAW. 65 

been warned to keep their posts till ordered to move. 
The American front, however, maintained their ground 
better than usual, and the British, before beating them, 
became heated, and forgetful of the warnings given, 
pushed forward irregulary. They were then charged 
by the veterans in the second line, and after a very 
desperate struggle, driven off the field. There lay in 
their way, however, a large brick building and adja- 
cent garden, where Stuart placed a strong corps, who 
could not be dislodged, and kept up a deadly fire, 
which checked the victors, enabling the retreatino- 
troops to be formed anew. At the same time, Colonel 
Washington attacked the British flank ; but finding it 
strongly posted among woods, he was repulsed with 
great loss, and himself taken prisoner. The American 
general, seeing no hope of making any further im- 
pression, retreated to his previous position. In this 
bloody and doubtful battle, both parties claim the vic- 
tory, though the British seemingly with most reason, 
as the general result was their repulse of an assailing 
force. It was certainly far from decisive ; and their 
loss of eighty-five killed and six hundred and eight 
wounded, was very little less than that of the enemy, 
who carried off also above two hundred prisoners. 
The British commander then formed a resolution, 
prompted less probably by the result of the day, than 
by the general state of the upper country, and the 
numbers and activity of the American light troops. 
Conceiving himself unable to maintain so advanced a 
position, he began to move on the evening of the 9th, 
and proceeded down to Monk's Corner, where he 
merely covered Charleston and its vicinity. To this 



66 SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 

and to Savannah were now limited British authority, 
which had lately extended so widely over the southern 
states. 

" Thus," says Ramsay, " ended the campaign of 
1781, in South Carolina. At its commencement, the 
British were in force over all the state. At its close, 
they durst not, but with great precaution, venture 
twenty miles from Charleston. History affords but 
few instances of commanders, who have achieved so 
much, with equal means, as was done by General 
Greene, in the short space of a twelvemonth. He 
opened the campaign with gloomy prospects ; but 
closed it with glory. His unpaid and half-naked army 
had to contend with veteran soldiers, supplied with 
everything that the wealth of Britain, or the plunder of 
Carolina could procure. Under all these disadvan- 
tages, he compelled superior numbers to retire from 
the extremity of the state, and confine themselves in 
the capital and its vicinity. Had not his mind been 
of the firmest texture, he would have been discouraged; 
but his enemies found him as formidable on the even- 
ing of a defeat as on the morning after a victory." 

The sketch which we have given above of the 
southern war, will serve to show our readers the op- 
portunities which Andrew Jackson enjoyed of learning 
the elements of the military art. In the society of 
such men as Marion, Sumpter, and Davie, with the 
the examples before him of Greene, Lee, Washington, 
and Howard, he learnt those principles of strategy 
which he afterwards reduced to practice in the second 
war with England. 




Riding ihe circuit. 



CHAPTER III 




£^ 



PROFESSIOxNAL LIFE. 

N the decease of his brother and mo- 
ther, Andrew Jackson came into 
possession of his paternal estate, 
which, though far from rendering 
him wealthy, was sufficiently large 
^^^ to support him in a moderate style 
T^'^ of living, and to enable him to pur- 



68 PROFESSIONAL LIFE. 

sue his studies. Unused, however, to economical ma- 
nagement, he neglected the opportunity thus afforded 
for accomplishing his mother's design, and expended 
his patrimony without regard to the future. His di- 
minished resources, however, soon warned him that 
his own exertions must be his reliance for support; 
and he continued and completed his classical education, 
superintended by Mr. M'Cullock, who taught a school 
near Hill's Iron Works. His enterprising disposition, 
and his ambition to raise himself above his original 
situation, led him to abandon the intention entertained 
by his mother, and turn his attention to the law. He 
commenced his legal studies near the close of his 
eighteenth year, at Salisbury, N. C. ; in the office of 
Spruce M'Kay, Esq., who afterwards was promoted 
to the bench. They were completed under Colonel 
John Stokes; and in 1786, Jackson received his 
license, and commenced the practice of the law. 

The le^al business in the. Carolinas was at this 
period engrossed by old practitioners ; and many diffi- 
culties presented themselves to the young beginner, 
unless aided by the influence of relations and friends. 
Destitute of these, and seeing little prospect of ad- 
vancement in his present situation, Jackson determined 
to proceed to the western country, which was then 
beginning: to attract attention, and where the field was 
yet unoccupied. Judge M'Nairy being about to 
proceed to the western part of the states, to hold a 
session of the Supreme Court, he resolved to accom- 
pany him. They left North Carolina in the spring of 
1788, and after having experienced considerable de- 
tention upon their journey, arrived at Nashville in 



SETTLES AT NASHVILLE. 69 

October. He found the community in a situation 
which rendered his arrival a most fortunate event. 
Many of the younger and more dissipated of the set- 
tlers had become deeply indebted to the merchants 
and tradesmen, who were unable to obtain legal re- 
dress, because the debtors had secured the only lawyer 
in the county to their interest. The defrauded cre- 
ditors hailed Jackson as a deliverer. They imme- 
diately beset him with applications for his services; 
and on the next morning after his arrival, seventy writs 
were issued against defaulters. His professional ca- 
reer, thus auspiciously commenced, continued to be 
prosperous. The scoundrels who had so long gone 
unpunished, attempted to intimidate him, but to no 
purpose. Shortly after his emigration to the west, he 
was appointed by the governor of North Carolina, attor- 
ney-general for the western district. In this capacity, 
he continued the same course of practice which he had 
commenced. He executed the laws with so much faith- 
fulness, that his life was more than once endangered ; 
by his firmness and fearless conduct, however, he 
awed the cowardly ruffians who threatened to attack 
him, and brought them to justice. His duties as pros- 
ecuting attorney, obliged him frequently to cross the 
wilderness between Jonesborough and Nashville, a dis- 
tance of more than two hundred miles, infested with 
hostile Indians. Twenty-two times did he perform 
this hazardous journey, with no other companion than 
his horse and rifle. His eflbrts were rewarded by a 
lucrative practice, and an almost unbounded popu- 
larity ; which was evinced at every opportunity, by 
his elevation to offices of honourable trust. 



70 PROFESSIONAL LIFE. 

In 1791, Jackson married the wife who absorbed 
his every affection while hving, whose loss was the 
greatest sorrow of his life, and whose memory he 
ever cherished with undiminished devotion. Circum- 
stances which attended this union have been mis- 
construed to his disadvantage; but a recital of the 
facts will convince every reasonable reader of the 
purity of his motives, the generosity of his nature, and 
the entire propriety of his conduct. The object of his 
choice was the daughter of Colonel John Donelson, 
who was a native of Virginia, whence he emigrated to 
Kentucky. During his residence in that state, Lewis 
Robards, whose family resided in the vicinity of Har- 
rodsburg, visited his family, and succeeded in gaining 
the affections of his daughter Rachel. With the con- 
sent of her father, they were united, and lived at first 
in apparent happiness. Some time after their mar- 
riage. Colonel Donelson removed to Tennessee, and 
settled near Nashville, where he afterwards died. Here 
Jackson became acquainted \\ ith his widow, and there 
being no regular public-houses in the settlement, he 
and his intimate friend, Mr. Overtin, boarded with 
Mrs. Donelson. Meanwhile, Mrs. Robards, who had 
been celebrated for her personal, mental, and moral 
qualities, had unfortunately become the object of her 
husband's jealousy. The latter appears to have been 
of a totally different character and disposition, and 
unable to appreciate the inestimable treasure he pos- 
sessed in his amiable consort. Her hospitable and 
convivial disposition ill accorded with his sullen and 
selfish temper. He was unwilling to permit his wife's 
virtues to benefit any but himself, and he was too much 



MEETS MRS. ROBAIIDS. 71 

given to depraved pleasures to cherish them as he 
ought. The guilt which his conscience told him rested 
on his soul, his imagination ascribed to her ; and all 
her exertions to dispel his unjust suspicions were vain. 
She endeavoured, but vainly, to persuade his poisoned 
mind of her purity and undiminished affection. He 
would not credit her repeated declarations, and refused 
to live with her. They had been residing with his 
mother, who was a widow, since the emigration of 
Colonel Donelson to Kentucky. The mother-in-law 
was convinced of the innocence of the injured wife ; 
but Robards refused to believe, and Rachel was obliged 
to return to her parents. Parents ! — alas — her father 
had ended his course in the humble log-cabin at Nash- 
ville, and to her widowed mother she brought her sor- 
rowing heart, and that kindness which had smoothed 
her couch in infancy, was again exerted to heal the 
wound which had been so causelessly inflicted. At her 
mother's dwelling she first met Andrew Jackson. Her 
personal loveliness, intellectual accomplishments, and 
moral worth — and above all, her unmerited sufferings, 
awakened in the bosom of our hero, sentiments of the 
purest admiration and respect : but his feelings pro- 
ceeded not beyond the limit of the most scrupulous 
propriety. It is probable, indeed, the known gallantry 
of his nature forbids a doubt, that he used every means 
in his power to render less irksome her painful situa- 
tion, and to banish from her mind the recollection of 
the past : but it has never been said, on respectable 
authority, and it cannot be supposed that his attentions 
to Mrs. Robards partook of aught save the respect 
and consideration due to her merit. After Robards 



72 PROFESSIONAL LIFE. 

had separated from his wife, Mr. Overtin formed an 
acquaintance with his family, and was deUghted to 
discover that the husband's heart had at last relented, 
and that he repented his conduct towards his partner. 
Through his mediation, a reconciliation was effected 
between them ; and Robards came to Nashville, in- 
tending to reside with his mother-in-law, until a cabin 
which was in course of erection for him, should be 
completed. His arrival produced no change in the 
deportment of Jackson, who, unconscious of any impure 
motive, or improper action, entertained no suspicion 
that his conduct would be considered objectionable by 
Robards. The latter, however, who appears to have 
had no conception of friendship without passion, had 
no sooner seen the friendly intercourse of Jackson and 
Mrs. Robards, than all his old suspicions were reawa- 
kened. Notwithstanding this, he made no avowal of 
his displeasure to Jackson; and his unfortunate wife 
and mother-in-law suffered alone the effects of his 
evil passions. The facts having come to the know- 
ledge of the innocent cause of the jealousy of Robards, 
he immediately assured him that his suspicions were 
unfounded. Failing to persuade him of this, Jackson 
removed to Mansker's Station ; but his departure pro- 
duced no alteration in Robards' sentiments. The lat- 
ter soon left his wife, avowing to others his determi- 
nation never to return. He proceeded to Kentucky, 
and no further communication was had with him by 
Mrs. Robards ; but sometime subsequent to his depar- 
ture, she was informed that he contemplated a journey 
to Tennessee for the purpose of compelling her to re- 
turn with him to his dwelling in Kentucky. To avoid 



JACKSON'S MARRIAGE. 73 

this was an object of great importance to her friends, 
and it was therefore arranged that she should proceed 
to Natchez, in company with Colonel Stark. The 
colonel, who was accompanied by his family, and was, 
moreover, advanced in years, requested Andrew Jack- 
son to join his party. This step, the dangers of the 
navigation, the liability to attack by the Indians, and 
his own age, combined to render advisable. In a short 
time after Mrs. Robards' journey to Natchez, intelli- 
gence reached Nashville, that a petition for divorce, 
which her husband was known to have presented, had 
been granted by the legislature of Virginia. All ob- 
stacles to their intercourse being thus removed, Jack- 
son determined to pay his addresses to her, with the 
view of obtaining her hand. To this course he was 
prompted by his knowledge and admiration of her 
character, his sympathy for her wrongs, and the feel- 
ing that he had been in some measure, though invo- 
luntarily, the cause of them. He went to Natchez in 
the summer of 1791, to lay his heart at her feet ; and 
in the autumn, Rachel Jackson assumed her station 
at the head of the household of him of whose heart 
she may well be called the idol. Their union pro- 
duced great joy among the numerous friends of both 
parties, and the happy experience of subsequent years 
demonstrated the wisdom of their choice. Two years 
after his marriage the fact came first to the knowledge 
of Jackson, that the information received by him re- 
lative to the divorce of Robards was incorrect ; that 
the legislature had only authorized the institution of 
proceedings in a court of Kentucky ; that the divorce 
had been but recently decreed by that court ; and that 



74 



PROFESSIONAL LIFE, 



consequently Mrs. Robards was actually another man's 
wife when he married her. No sooner had he learnt 
the true state of the case, than he hastened to obtain 
a license, and the marriage ceremony was again per- 
formed in January, 1794. 





CHAPTER IV. 

INDIAN WAR — LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL 
LIFE. 



HE period at which we 
have now arrived, was 
signahzed by frequent 
attacks of tlie Indians, 
Avho sometimes com- 
mitted fearful ravages 
upon the more exposed 
settlements of the west- 
ern frontiers. This 
constant liability to at- 

11 




76 LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL LIFE. 

tack, had the effect of rendering every man a sol- 
dier, as all were obhged to take, the field in defence 
of their families and homes. The military talents 
displayed by Jackson in these frontier wars, soon 
gained for him a wide spread reputation, and paved 
the way for his subsequent advancement. Always 
cool, determined and fearless, he soon became known 
to enemies as well as friends, and the title of Long 
Knife, and Sharp Arrow, by which the Indians desig 
nated him, are convincing proofs of the estimation 
in which his prowess was held by them. Conspicuous 
for his bravery and ability in the field, and admired 
for his legal attainments, he became a general favour- 
ite with his fellow citizens. 

In the same year he received a more distinguished 
proof of their regard, in his election to the national 
legislature. His conduct in the house of represen- 
tatives was characterized by a warm zeal for the pub- 
he interest, especially for that of his own state ; and a 
consistent adherence to the doctrhies of the republican 
party, then in a minority in Congress. In 1797, his 
conduct received the marked approval of the legisla- 
ture of Tennessee, who gratified the popular will by 
raising him to a seat in the United States Senate, 
He took his seat in that august body on the 22d of 
November. He w^as present, and voted with the re- 
publican or democratic party upon the alien law and 
the stamp question ; but being obliged by private busi- 
ness to avail himself of a leave of absence, in the 
month of April, he was deprived of the opportunity of 
recording his name in opposition to the sedition law, 
which passed the Senate in July, 1798. 



ACQUAINTANCE WITH MR. LIVINGSTON. 77 

Jackson's acquaintance with Mr. Livingston com- 
menced at this time. It is thus noticed by a contem- 
porary. 

"It was while Livingston was in Congress, that 
was formed that intimate friendship between him and 
Andrew Jackson, which lasted for nearly half a cen- 
tury. Jackson at that period represented in his single 
person, the state of Tennessee, which, at the present 
day sends twelve members to the House of Represen- 
tatives. Never were two natures more totally unlike 
attracted toward each other, by those inexplicable 
sympathies, which often link men the more closely to- 
gether by reason of the very causes which would seem 
to tend to create a reciprocal repulsion. The one of 
a contemplative spirit, speculative, endowed with a 
great power of analysis, but judging slowly — studying 
man, but from his studious habits, mingling but rarely 
among their masses, and then rather in their state of 
aggregation than in the isolated individual — born of 
an opulent family, and educated in the midst of the 
most polished society of the country, and among some 
of the most distinguished men in France — fond of the 
arts, and of letters, having cultivated with equal zeal 
that science which gives force and accuracy to thought, 
and that polite literature which teaches to clothe it in 
the forms that adorn its manifestations to the minds 
of others. 

" The other, sprung from the ranks of the democra- 
cy in the broadest sense in the world — owino- to him- 
self, and himself alone, both his education and his for- 
tune — having encountered nothing but obstacles in his 
path ; owing to the people alone his advancement, and 



78 LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL LIFE. 

cherishing a perpetual remembrance of their generous 
patronage; marching straight up to difficulty, and 
trampling it under foot, without even turning it — in 
all that regards science and letters having had leisure 
only to study elementary books, but profoundly versed 
in all relating to our civil institutions, and to the men 
who founded them, as well as to that part of the Eng- 
lish jurisprudence, the Common Law, which connects 
itself with our institutions, as with those of Great Bri- 
tain — with a will of iron, and indefatigable ardor, and 
unequalled promptness in seizing the point of a discus- 
sion, with a rustic eloquence that sought its images 
amid the objects of nature, and found its inspiration 
in a soul enthusiastic for the noble and the grand — in 
war, possessing that rapid eye which makes the great 
general, with that faculty of electrifying the soldier, of 
quickening to a fanatacism, the love of his country 
within his heart ; while, with the enemy, no compro- 
mise, speaking of him as though never was there to 
be peace or truce with him — neglecting no detail, no 
precaution, scarcely ever sleeping but in day-time — 
never despising his enemy, but supposing him always 
to possess an equal capacity with his own — fearing 
no responsibility, but trusting ever implicitly in the 
generous indulgence of the people toward those who 
have sprung from its own ranks, and in whom it does 
not suspect the possibility of treachery to its cause — 
' having,' to quote the language of Jefferson, ' more 
of the Roman in his heart and in his soul, than any 
other man of modern times.' 

" This high and bold spirit exercised upon me, from 
the first interview, the power of an irresistible spell. 



ELECTED COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. 79 

I loved to hear him relate to me, the struggles of his 
youth with poverty and ignorance ; his childish and 
patriotic delight on the day when, like a young cour- 
ser, he bounded into the forest, rifle in hand, to seek 
the continental troops encamped on the eve of the first 
battle in which he felt the movement of his warlike in- 
stinct. In Congress he spoke but rarely ; but when 
he did rise, shaking his upright hair, and surveying 
the assembly with his eagle glance, the most profound 
silence reigned throughout it. 

"I had once the opportunity of hearing Jackson 
speak of the origin of his intimacy with Livingston. 
'I felt myself suddenly attracted toward him,' he 
said, ' by the gentleness of his manners ; the charm 
of his conversation, gay without frivohty, instructive 
without the ostentation of instructing ; by the pro- 
found acquaintance he already possessed with the theo- 
ries of society, and of the laws, in their relation to the 
characters of nations ; by his unlimited confidence in 
the sagacity of the people, and of their capability of 
self-government, through the agency of representatives 
specially instructed to express the opinion of their 
constituents on great questions of general interest, 
still more than on those of local concern ; and above 
all, by that lovely and holy philanthropy, which im- 
pelled him from his youth to mitigate the severity of 
those penal laws, whose cruelties serve only to inspire 
in the masses a ferocity that always obtains an equili- 
brium with that of the laws which govern them.' "* 

Shortly after the election of Jackson to the senate, 
Major-General Conway, commander-in-chief of the 

* Democratic Review. 



80 LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL LIFE. 

militia of Tennessee, died. The field officers, with 
great unanimity, chose Andrew Jackson as his suc- 
cessor. This office he held until he was appointed a 
major-general in the army of the United States. 

In 1799, weary of the contentions and intrigues of 
political life, and desirous of giving place to General 
Smith, who possessed eminent qualifications for the 
legislative office, General Jackson resigned his seat in 
the Senate. He purchased a beautiful estate on the 
Cumberland river, about ten miles from Nashville, 
where he established his residence. At this delightful 
retreat, blessed with a gifted and affectionate com- 
panion, and a large and valued circle of friends, he 
designed to pass his future life. But his many public 
services had brought to light his eminent talents and 
devoted patriotism, and such a man could not be per- 
mitted to remain inactive. " His services were too 
important to be lost, and he was appointed to preside 
over the Supreme Court of law and equity in the state 
of Tennessee. An allusion to one or two incidents 
which marked the rough times in which he was called 
to the administration of the public justice, may not be 
inappropriate. They will give the ' form and pres- 
sure' of those times, and serve to illustrate the identity 
of the man of thirty with the boy of the Revolution. 
An individual had been indicted and was for trial. He 
was in the immediate vicinity of the court house, but 
such was the strength and ferocity of the man, that 
the sheriff, not daring to approach him, made a return 
' that Russell Bean will not be taken.' ' He must 
be taken,' said the judge, ' and if necessary, you must 
summon the body of the county to your aid.' The 



FIRMNESS OF JACKSON. 81 

officer retired, awaited the adjournment of the court, 
and summoned the judges themselves. Judge Jackson 
rephed, ' Yes, sir, I will attend you, and see that you 
do your duty.' Learning that Bean was armed, he 
requested a loaded pistol, which was placed in his hand. 
He then said to the sheriff, ' Advance and arrest him. 
I will protect you from harm.' Bean, armed with a 
dirk and brace of pistols, assumed an attitude of defi- 
ance and desperation. But as the judge advanced 
upon him, he began to retreat. ' Stop, and obey the 
law,' cried the intrepid magistrate. The desperate man 
paused, threw down his weapons, and exclaimed, ' I 
will surrender to you, sir, but to no one else !' 

" On another occasion, in consequence of his hav- 
ing exposed to the general government extensive land 
frauds perpetrated in Tennessee, Judge Jackson had 
concentrated upon himself the hostility of a powerful 
and influential body of men implicated in those frauds. 
To such height had their enmity risen, that an at- 
tempt was made to mob him on his way to hold a 
court. Intelligence of the meditated assault had the 
effect simply of speeding his movements to the scene 
of contemplated outrage. On his arrival, labouring 
under severe indisposition, he sought the retirement 
of his chamber. A friend called, and informing him 
that a regiment of men, headed by a Colonel Harri- 
son, had collected in front of the house with a view to 
carry their threat into execution, advised him to se- 
cure his door. Judge Jackson immediately threw it 
open, and exclaimed, ' Give my compliments to Colo- 
nel Harrison, and tell him that my door is open to 
receive him and his regiment when they choose to 
12 



82 LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL LIFE. 

wait upon me, and I hope that the chivalry of the co- 
lonel will induce him to lead, not follow his men.' It is 
needless to add, that the fury of the mob quailed be- 
fore the intrepidity of the man."* 

In 1804, his love for private life led him to resign 
his seat on the bench, much aijainst the wishes of his 
friends and fellow-citizens. He returned to his estate 
on the Cumberland, where, possessed of sufficient "pro- 
perty to render the practice of his profession unneces- 
sary, he enjoyed a large share of domestic felicity. A 
favourite pursuit of his was the rearing of horses. He 
succeeded in greatly improving the breed of the coun- 
try, and became celebrated for the excellence of his 
stables. He frequently brought his horses into com- 
petition for the honours of the turf, and their perfor- 
mances failed not to do credit to his skill. On one 
of these occasions, a difficulty arose between him and 
a man named Charles Dickinson, on the score of a 
wager lost by the latter. By the interference of per- 
sons hostile to General Jackson, an amicable settle- 
ment of the dispute was prevented ; and Dickinson, 
having publicly charged Jackson with cowardice, the 
general sent him a challenge. This act of itself dis- 
proved the dishonourable imputation, as Dickinson was 
reputed to be the best marksman in Tennessee. They 
met; Dickinson confident of killing his antagonist, 
and Jackson expecting to sacrifice his life to his ho- 
nour. Dickinson fir^ first; the dust was seen to rise 
from the clothing of Jackson ; but he returned the fire 
with fatal precision. His oj)ponent fell, mortally 

* M'Al lister's Euloo-y. 



ACQUAINTANCE WITH BURR. 83 

wounded. The general proceeded on horseback twen- 
ty miles, accompanied by his surgeon : and it was not 
until they had reached their destination that the sur- 
geon discovered, by the blood upon his clothes, that his 
friend had been shot through the arm, the ball lodg- 
ing in his body, and shattering two of his ribs. His 
astonishing self-command appeared almost superhu- 
man to his friends who witnessed the scene ; to one of 
whom he declared, that so fixed was his resolution, 
that he should have killed his antagonist, had he him- 
self been shot through the brain ! The wounds re- 
ceived in this affair confined General Jackson for 
some time to his house. Having anticipated slightly 
in the preceding relation, we will now retui'n to the 
regular course of our history.^ 

While Jackson was a member of the Senate, he 
became acquainted with Aaron Burr, afterwards Vice- 
President of the United States. In 1805, George 
Clinton was elected to supersede Burr ; and the latter 
started on a tour through the Western States. He 
twice visited General Jackson, to whom he declared 
that he wished to settle a tract of country in which 
he had an interest, in the recently purchased territory 
of Louisiana ; but that the Spaniards were notoriously 
disaffected, and being collected on the Sabine in con- 
siderable force, they maintained a threatening attitude 
towards the United States. He further stated that in 
case of a war between Spain and the United States, 
he was authorized by the President to make arrange- 
ments for the invasion and conquest of Mexico. The 
people of the western country, and among them Gen- 
eral Jackson, were eager for a brush with the Spa 

* Luter in life, Jackson'3 sentiments on duelling' were entirely clianged, uiid he felt it his duty 
to disapprove and discoura^'e the practice. 



84 LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL LIFE. 

niards, and entered with alacrity into the views of 
Burr. 

In 1806, Burr again returned to Tennessee, and 
commenced preparations for an extensive expedition, 
building boats, and engaging men to go with him to 
settle in Louisiana and make ready for the expected 
war with Spain. In the meantime, suspicions began 
to be entertained with regard to his objects, and the 
United States district attorney in Kentucky proposed 
to indict him for organizing an unlawful military ex- 
pedition. When the case was submitted to the grand 
jury, they declared that there was no evidence tending 
in the smallest degree to criminate him. 

Meanwhile General Jackson received a private 
communication, which led him to believe that Burr 
was chief of an extensive conspiracy having for its 
object the dismemberment of the union, by separating 
the Western States with Louisiana from the others, 
and erecting them into an independent government. 
Jackson immediately conununicatcd his suspicions to 
Governor Claiborne, at New Orleans, and to the se- 
nators and representatives of Tennessee in Congress. 
He also wrote to Burr, saying that he had received 
such information, and if he had any treasonable de- 
signs against the United States he could hold no fur- 
ther communication with him. Colonel Burr imme- 
diately disavowed any such intention, in the most 
positive terms, and said that any person who could 
think that he intended the project must deem him a 
madman. This did not quiet Jackson's suspicions. 
All intercourse between him and Burr ceased. 

When Burr returned to Tennessee in December, 



% 



BURR'S CONSPIRACY. 85 

he found public opinion turned against him, and on 
the 22d of that month, he commenced his voyage 
down the Cumberland with ten boats, without ammu- 
nition, and with only men enough to work the boats. 
Scarcely had he gone, when Jefferson's proclamation, 
denouncing Burr's designs, and calling on all good 
citizens to aid in his arrest, arrived, by a special 
messenger, with instructions to the civil and military 
authorities, enjoining them to make use of such force 
as might be necessary to suppress the conspiracy and 
arrest the leader. 

General Jackson immediately despatched an ex- 
press down the Cumberland, to watch Burr's move- 
ments, and ordered out twelve companies of his com- 
mand. The express hastened to the mouth of the 
river, where he ascertained that Burr, with ten boats 
and six men unarmed in each, had proceeded peace- 
fully down the Ohio. The general dismissed his men, 
and reported his proceedings to the government. 

Colonel Burr descended the Mississippi to the Mis- 
sissippi Territory, when, finding himself intercepted 
by the agents of the government, he quietly sun-endered 
himself to the civil authorities, by whom he was sent 
to Richmond, Virginia, for trial. He was tried on a 
charge of treason and acquitted. He retired to pri- 
vate hfe, and never made known his real designs. He 
always entertained the greatest respect for General 
Jackson, and spoke of him as a man of the strictest 
integrity and honour. 

"The history of Tennessee at this time," says Flint, 
" is little more than a dreary chronicle of Indian mas- 
sacres. Many of these narratives, related apart, 



86 LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL LIFE. 

would possess a harrowing interest. Grouped to- 
gether, they occur in such numhers, and with such 
uniform circumstances of atrocity and barbarity, that 
they lose their interest in the confusion of the mass. 
No less than thirty murders of individuals, or of whole 
families, occurred within three years after the setting 
up the federal government. To a person travelling 
through this fine and populous country, where there 
is now no more apprehension from Indians, than in 
the vicinity of Philadelphia, it seems almost incredible 
that such scenes should have occurred in the vicinity 
of Nashville, so late as 1796. 

" The most conspicuous characters among the In- 
dian chiefs, were Double Head, Hanging Maw, Bloody 
Fellow, Mad-Dog, and other chiefs, Avith equally ter- 
rible names; and Bowles, Watts, and M'Gillivray, 
whites, who had become chiefs among them. Pio- 
mingo, a Chickasaw chief, is often mentioned in the 
annals of these times, as having been uniformly friend- 
ly to the Americans. 

" The last severe lesson taught these people by the 
Americans, previous to the inflictions of General Jack- 
son, by which they were completely and finally sub- 
dued, was at Nickajack, in 1794. An expedition, in 
which Andrew Jackson took a part, was fitted out 
against this town from Tennessee. It had been a 
central point, whence the w^ar parties had proceeded. 
The American force was sufficient to look down op- 
position. The town was large and populous. The 
inhabitants attempted to escape in their canoes across 
the river, on which their town is built. The troops 
opened a deadly fire upon the canoes. Some were 



INDIAN BARBARITIES. 87 

killed, and some leapt into the water and attempting 
to escape by swimming were killed before they were 
out of the reach of the guns. Some women and chil- 
dren were taken prisoners, fifty-five warriors were 
slain, and that town and another reduced to ashes. 
In Nickajack were found fresh scalps taken at Cumber- 
land, and a quantity of powder and lead just received 
from the Spanish government, and a commission to 
Breath, a chief of that town, who was killed in the ac- 
tion. This severe chastisement, with other events 
that soon occurred, broke the spirits of the Cherokees. 
" Among the murders that still continued to occur, 
we select the following as a fair sample of the desperaW 
character of the conflicts between the Indians and 
Americans. We may infer that similar resistance 
took place in almost every case of the almost number- 
less assaults and murders in these border wars. On 
the 27th of January, a party of Indians killed George 
Mason, on Flat Creek, about twelve miles from Knox- 
ville. During the night he heard a noise at his stable, 
and he stepped out to ascertain the cause ; and the 
Indians coming in between him and the door, inter- 
cepted his return. He fled, but was fired upon and 
wounded. He reached a cave a quarter of a mile 
from his house, out of which, already weltering in his 
blood, he Avas dragged and murdered. Having finished 
this business, they returned to the house to despatch 
his wife and children : Mrs. Mason, unconscious of 
the fate of her husband, heard them talking to each 
other as they approached the house. At first she was 
delighted with the hope that her neighbours, aroused 
by the firing, had come to her assistance. But under- 



88 LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL LIFE. 

Standing English and German, the language of her 
neighbours, and perceiving that the conversation was 
in neither of these tongues, she instantly inferred that 
they were savages coming to attack the house. This 
heroine had that very morning learned how the double 
trigger of a rifle was set. Fortunately the children 
were not awakened by the firing ; and she took good 
care not to disturb them. She shut the door, and 
barred it with benches and tables ; and took down the 
well charged rifle of her husband. She placed herself 
directly opposite the opening which would be made 
by forcing the door. Her husband came not, and she 
was but too well aware that he was slain. She was 
alone in the darkness. The yelling savages were with- 
out, pressing upon the house. She took counsel from 
her own magnanimity, heightened by afl'ection for her 
children, sleeping unconsciously around her. The In- 
dians pushing with great violence, gradually opened 
the door sufliciently wide to attempt an entrance. The 
body of one was thrust into the opening, and just filled 
it. He was struggling for admittance. Two or three 
more, directly behind him, were propelling him for- 
ward. She set the trigger of the rifle, put the muzzle 
near the body of the foremost, and in a direction that 
the ball, after passing through his body, would pene- 
trate those behind. She fired. The first Indian fell. 
The next one uttered the scream of mortal agony. 
This intrepid woman saw the necessity of profound 
silence. She observed it. The Indians in conse- 
quence were led to believe that armed men were in 
the house. They withdrew from the house, took three 
horses from the stable, and set it on fire. It was after- 



TENNESSEE ENTERS THE UNION. 89 

wards ascertained that this high-minded woman had 
saved herself and children from the attack of twenty- 
five assailants." 

This incident will serve as a specimen of the hor- 
rors to which the inhabitants of Tennessee were 
subjected, even at so recent a period as 1796. In all 
the perilous expeditions which were undertaken for 
the protection of the frontier in his neighbourhood 
from the savage enemy, Jackson bore his full share. 

In 1796, the territory of Tennessee was erected 
into a state, and the people seized the earliest oppor- 
tunity afforded them at a popular election, to manifest 
their confidence in Andrew Jackson, and to secure to 
themselves the benefit of his judgment and counsel. 
He was chosen a member of the convention, assem- 
bled to frame the republican constitution of the state, 
assumed the duties of the ofiice, and entered upon its 
discharge with conscientious respect for its responsi- 
bilities, and a deep anxiety firmly to establish those 
fundamental principles which are embraced in the 
comprehensive expression of the "rights of man." 
The constitution which was established, asserts among 
its provisions two great and leading propositions, 
which he always defended as maxims, and followed as 
the guides of his political fife — the inherent, indefeasi- 
ble, and uncontrollable sovereignty of the people, and 
the injustice and enormity of perpetuities and mono- 
pohes — those insiduous and cruel instrumentalities by 
which the prosperity of the many has been subjugated 
to the unjust advancement of the few — the bane of 
peace, and of all private, and therefore of all national 
prosperity. 
13 



90 



LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL LIFE. 



In the formation of this constitution, Andrew Jack- 
son took a conspicuous part ; and the principles which 
he avowed on this occasion furnish the foundation on 
which were based the leading features of his political 
hfe. 





CHAPTER V. 

COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

E now come to a 
new and import- 
ant era in the life 
of Jackson. The 
prolonged aggres- 
^ sions of Great 
Britain upon the 
maritime rights, 
commerce, and honour of America, effectually aroused 
the spirit of the American people. Hostilities becom- 
ing unavoidable. Congress, on the 12th of June, 1812, 
declared war against the United Kingdoms, and au- 
thorized the president to accept the services of fifty 
thousand volunteers. 




92 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

General Jackson, though watchful of events, and 
keenly alive to their bearing, had retired from public 
hfe, and was engaged in the calm pursuits of agricul- 
ture. The sound of war was welcome in his seclusion, 
for it summoned him to a deathless renown. It came 
to his quick ear like a long wished-for permit to avenge 
the wrongs of those, for whom he was ever ready to 
sacrifice, without stint, his repose, his fortune, and his 
blood. The war-cry of his country scarcely vibrated 
on the breeze, ere he echoed it back as music, with 
which every chord of his soul was in unison. On the 
25th of June, thirteen days after the declaration of 
war, he left his ripe harvest drooping for the sickle, and 
offered to the general government, through the execu- 
tive of Tennessee, his services, with those of twenty- 
five hundred brave men, who had flocked to his 
standard on the first certain sound of war. 

On the 12th of July, the Secretary of War wrote to 
the Governor of Tennessee, "The tender of service by 
General Jackson and those under his command, is re- 
ceived by the president with peculiar satisfaction ; and 
in accepting their services, the president cannot with- 
hold an expression of his admiration of the zeal and 
ardour by which they are animated." In conveying 
to General Jackson this acceptance of his services, 
the governor tendered his thanks to him for the honour 
done his state by the prompt manner in which those 
services had been oflfered. 

In November he received orders to descend the 
Mississippi, for the defence of the lower country, which 
was then thought to be in danger. Accordingly, on 
the 10th of December, those troops rendezvoused at 



RAISES TROOPS. 93 

Nashville, prepared to advance to the place of their 
destination; and although the weather was then exces- 
sively severe, and the ground covered with snow, no 
body of men could have displayed greater firmness. 
The general was with them everywhere, inspiring them 
with the ardour which animated his own bosom. The 
cheerful spirit with which they submitted to hardships 
and bore privations, at the very outset of their mihta- 
ry career, as well as the order and subordination they 
so readily observed, were happy presages of what 
might be expected, when they should be directed to 
face an enemy. 

On the 7th of January, 1813, in the heart of winter, 
these hardy sons of Tennessee embarked upon their 
voyage of more than a thousand miles. The earth 
was covered with snow ; the rivers were full of run- 
ning ice. Unappalled by the difficulties of the navi- 
gation, undismayed by the dangers with which they 
were surrounded, they overcame every obstacle, sailed 
down the Cumberland, the Ohio, and the Mississippi, 
and on the 15th of February, they landed at Natchez. 
Here Jackson was instructed to remain, until he should 
receive fiirther orders. 

Having chosen a healthy site for the encampment 
of his troops, about two miles from Washington, 
Jackson devoted himself to the most important duty 
of a commanding-general — the organization and disci- 
phne of his army. Having none but volunteer troops 
around him — young men educated in unrestrained 
freedom, accustomed to no other words of authority 
but their own commands to their obedient slaves, his 
task was difficult indeed. But by his example, his 



94 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

persuasive eloquence appealing to their honour and 
patriotism ; by his inflexible justice, and unwavering 
firmness, those young men were made cheerfully to 
submit to the privations of the camp, and the disci- 
pline of military life. They loved their general ; they 
had faith in his capacity, his justice and his bravery. 
By the magic of love and faith, a band of raw recruits 
were soon converted into an enthusiastic, well-trained, 
and invincible army. 

What must have been the mortification of this lit- 
tle patriotic band, when the order unexpectedly came 
for their discharge ? The clouds of war in the south 
having blown over, the Secretary of War wrote to 
General Jackson, " On the receipt of this letter, you 
will consider the corps under your command as dis- 
missed from the public service, and take measures to 
have delivered to Major-General Wilkinson, all arti- 
cles of public property which may have been put into 
its possession." 

A deeper wound could not have been inflicted on 
a patriotic spirit than this cruel and unexpected order 
of government. By great exertions and personal sac- 
rifices Jackson had called together, organized, and dis- 
ciplined a band of ardent youth, eager to devote 
themselves to the cause of their country. Suddenly, 
and without cause, they are ordered to be discharged, 
and sent home without arms, without tents, without 
provisions, or camp equipage of any kind. One hun- 
dred and fifty of them were on the sick report. Their 
homes were far distant, they had to march through a 
country without roads, without the means of shelter 
or subsistence, and filled with hostile Indians. To 



A SEVERE TRIAL. 95 

disband them under such circumstances, to find their 
way home as they could, through a savage and wilder- 
ness country, was to subject them to the certain hor- 
rors of the tomahawk, disease, and famine. 

But the order was plain and direct. Whenever 
it met him, under whatever circumstances, the corps 
under his command was to be dismissed from the pub- 
lic service. What was to be done? He called a 
council of field officers, who advised obedience to the 
order. An ordinary man, the mere slave of routine 
and detail, would have complied ; followed strictly the 
letter of his order without consideration of circum- 
stances, abandoned his army, and retired in disgust. 

Great as was the astonishment which the decision 
of his officers excited in the general, it produced a 
still higher sentiment of indignation. " What !" said 
he, " shall the word of Andrew Jackson be forfeited ? 
Did I not promise to be a father and a friend to these 
young men, when, in obedience to my call, they flocked 
to the standard of their country ? What did I pro- 
mise to the daughters of Tennessee, that cold and 
snowy day, last December, when we struck our tents, 
and took up the line of march ? Did they not gather 
around me with tears in their eyes and say, ' General! 
General ! I trust my father to you — my husband — my 
son — General ! I know you will take care of them — 
I know you will see that justice is done them, and 
that they come safely back home — General, I have 
faith in you, and I know you will not disappoint me.' 
Shall I now dismiss them to wander through a savage 
wilderness, without subsistence or means of defence 
— or shall I abandon them in their frail condition to 



96 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

enlist at once in Wilkinson's army, whose recruiting 
officers are already among us to entice them away ? 
It shall not be done. I will march them back as they 
came, and dismiss them hke honourable soldiers on 
the ground where they first assembled." 

The resolution thus taken, he lost no time in com- 
municating to the Secretary of War. When General 
Wilkinson, to whom the pubhc property was directed 
to be delivered, learned that the determination had 
been taken to march the troops back, and to take with 
them so much of that property as should be neces- 
sary to their return, he admonished Jackson, in a let- 
ter of solemn and mysterious import, of the awful and 
dangerous responsibility he was taking on himself by 
that measure. General Jackson replied that his con- 
duct, and the consequences to which it might lead, 
had been deliberately weighed, and that he was pre- 
pared to abide the result. Wilkinson had previously 
given orders to his officers to recruit from Jackson's 
army ; they were advised, however, on their first ap- 
pearance, that those troops were already in the service 
of the United States, and that thus situated, they 
should not be enlisted. 

The quarter-master was ordered to provide con- 
veyance for the sick and baggage, and ostensibly com- 
menced to execute the order ; but, as the event proved, 
he was merely amusing the general by a show of com- 
pliance. Perceiving his object, Jackson seized upon 
the wagons which were in camp, eleven in number, 
and commenced his march homeward. 

" When about to take up the line of march, the 
surgeon reported one young man as dying, and that 



THE SICK SOLDIER. 



97 




The sick soldier. 



it was useless for him to cumber the already overload- 
ed wagons. 'So long as there is life in him,' says 
Jackson, ' he shall go.' He gave up his own horse 
for the sick, as did his staff, and marched on foot. 
When the young man who was reported to be dying 
recovered from his swoon, he exclaimed, ' Where am 
I?' 'On your way home, my good fellow,' said 
Jackson, who was trudging along through the mud 
by his side. The young man immediately revived, 
and began to mend from that hour; and when they 
reached Nashville, the good general had the pleasure 
to restore him safe and sound to his mother."* 

In order to defray the unavoidable expenses of the 
march, he borrowed five thousand dollars on his oion 
private credit. On arriving at Nashville, he commu- 
nicated to the president of the United States, the course 
he had pursued, and the reasons that induced it. His 



14 



* Garland's Eulogy. 



'98 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

conduct was approved of, the expenses incurred di- 
rected to be paid, and the troops were paid up to the 
time of their discharge at Nashville. 

The conduct of General Jackson on this occasion, 
in refusing to obey the orders of government, has been 
considered as an act of disobedience more worthy to 
be blamed than praised. But those who thus regard 
it, have not a just view of the question. When the 
officers of government issue their orders to a command- 
ing general on a remote field of operations, where 
their knowledge of localities is limited, and their means 
of communication slow and uncertain, they assume a 
certain state of things to exist, on which their orders 
are predicated. But when the commands of govern- 
ment reach the officer whose duty it is to execute 
them, the actual posture of affiiirs may be wholly dif- 
ferent from what was anticipated, and an execution of 
them may cause harm rather than good to the public 
service. In such a case, it is presumed that the com- 
manding officer has so much of the confidence of his 
government, as to warrant him in assuming the re- 
sponsibility of varying the execution of his orders to 
suit the actual state of things, and throwing himself 
on the justice and magnanimity of his country for justi- 
fication. It is true that this is a difficult and delicate 
task to perform. None but a most extraordinary man 
can venture on it. It requires a clear and compre- 
hensive intellect to see through and understand the 
real circumstances in which he is placed, a bold and 
firm heart to execute what the judgment approves. 
Such a man was Andrew Jackson. He who, when a 
boy in the dungeon of Camden, did not fear to speak 



DECISION OF GOVERNMENT. 99 

the truth, would not, when a man, under the most try- 
ins circumstances, fail to act the truth. 

When government issued their orders to disband 
his army, it was on the supposition that he had not 
left the borders of Tennessee. Neither had he, at that 
time ; for it was dated January 7th, two days before 
he started from Nashville. Little did they know, how- 
ever, of the promptness and energy of the man they 
had to deal with. Instead of finding him lingering 
on the Cumberland, their orders found him at the ter- 
mination of his march, at the point where he was 
ordered to await further instructions, with an army 
already organized, equipped, and disciplined for ser- 
vice. When, therefore, they came to understand the 
grounds on which he had declined full obedience to 
their commands, they not only approved, but justified 
his conduct, and promptly paid the five thousand dol- 
lars he had borrowed at Natchez, on his own respon- 
sibility, to sustain his troops on their homeward 
march. 

Although shamefully treated, and sought to be dis- 
graced by the machinations of jealous rivals, Jackson 
was not, like ordinary men, disgusted and driven 
from the service of his country. When he arrived at 
Nashville, he again offered himself and his brave vo- 
lunteers to the war department, and asked to be 
marched to the northern frontiers, that they might 
wipe out there the recent disgrace of the treachery 
and defeat of General Hull. " I have a few stand- 
ards," says he, " with the American eagle upon them, 
that I long to plant on the ramparts of Maiden." No 
disappointments could discourage him — no ill-treat- 



100 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

merit could disgust him, while the cause of his country 
called for his services.* 

Though his country professed not to need those 
services along the Canada lines, it was not long be- 
fore he was called to defend the borders of Tennessee 
from the tomahawk of the ruthless savage. 

The celebrated Indian, P'rancis, better known as the 
Prophet, who was actively engaged in stimulating the 
northern tribes to hostilities against the United States, 
sent his brother Tecumseh to the nations of the south, 
to communicate his wishes and brinjr them into his 
plans. The Prophet, as he was called, claimed to be 
specially commissioned by the Great Spirit to expound 
his will to the Indian nations ; and his authority was 
universally acknowledged by his brethren. He suc- 
ceeded in exciting a universal feeling of enmity to 
the United States, and instigated the Indians to the 
most savaoje warfare. Tecumseh arrived in the Creek 
nation early in 1812, and immediately endeavoured 
to persuade the chiefs to take up the hatchet. They 
declined, however, to make war against the United 
States, from whom the nation annually received valu- 
able presents and other substantial assurances of friend- 
ship. Defeated in this quarter, Tecumseh next tried 
his influence with the young men of the tribe; and 
there he met with more success. They listened 
eagerly to his descriptions of the wrongs suffered by 
their countrymen from the whites, and their spirits 
warmed into enthusiasm under his stirring appeals to 
them to rise, and take a full measure of vengeance. 

* Garland's Eulogy. 



OPERATIONS OF TECUMSEH. 101 

They were also promised the support of Great Britain, 
and were encouraged to hope for an easy victory. 
This ardour, however, was repressed by the artful 
chief, who represented to them the great importance 
of preserving perfect secrecy until the moment should 
arrive for a general attack. Having established a 
perfect organization of the Creek nation, independent 
of and unknown to the chiefs, Tecumseh returned 
home, to assist his brother in carrying his plans into 
effect. Before these preparations were completed, 
however, an incident occurred which precipitated the 
Creeks into open war. A constant communication 
being now kept up between the northern and southern 
Indians, parties were continually passing between 
their countries, by whom depredations were often 
committed upon the frontier settlers. Several persons 
were barbarously murdered in the summer of 1812, 
near the mouth of the Ohio ; and shortly afterwards, 
the savages put to death several whole families, within 
the state of Tennessee. Colonel Hawkins, the United 
States Agent, demanded that the murderers should be 
punished; and the chiefs, who continued friendly to 
the government, ordered them to be put to death ; and 
several were actually executed. This act of the chiefs 
excited the fury of the young warriors to such a de- 
gree, that they could no longer restrain their hatred 
for the whites, and broke into open war. The peace- 
fully inclined among them were compelled to seek re- 
fuge with the white inhabitants, and the hostile party 
commenced the most horrible of all warfares upon the 
unprotected frontier settlements. They were insti- 
gated to the commission of these acts, not only by the 



102 COMMENCI^MENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 




persuasions of Tecumseh, but by the emissaries of 
England and Spain. From the same sources they 
procured abundant suppUes of arms and ammunition, 
and received promises of donations equal or superior 
in value to those which they had been in the habit of 
receiving from the government of the United States. 



MASSACRE AT FORT MIMMS. 103 

The first effects of these infernal machinations 
were felt by the people of Mississippi, then a thinly- 
settled territory, and totally unprovided with the means 
of efficient resistance. As a sort of frontier guard, or 
protection against the roving parties of savages who 
frequently plundered the settlers, a garrison of one 
hundred and fifty men had been stationed in what 
was known as the Tensaw Settlement. A small forti- 
fication had been erected at Tensaw, called Fort 
Mimms, in which the troops were stationed. At the 
commencement of the hostile movements among the 
Indians, the inhabitants of the settlement took refuge 
in the fort, increasing the number of its inmates to 
three hundred and seventy souls. Against this post 
the Creeks resolved that their first blow should be 
struck. On the 30th of August, about one thousand 
warriors, armed to the teeth, and stimulated by lust 
and vengeance, attacked the fort with indescribable 
fury. The garrison made a gallant resistance, but 
their desperate bravery availed nothing against such 
a disparity of numbers. Major Beasley, the com- 
mander, with his little band of soldiers, fell beneath 
the tomahawks of the savages, whose merciless enmity 
spared neither women nor children from the general 
slaughter. Those of the inmates of the fort who were 
unable to aid in its defence, had taken refuge from the 
balls in an old building within the walls. When the 
savages burst through the gates, they set fire to this 
building, and its unhappy inmates perished horribly in 
the flames. The enemy, however, paid dearly for his 
inhuman triumph. The gallant band of heroes under 
Major Beasley killed more than their own number, 
15 



104 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

notwithstanding the superior force they had to con- 
tend with ; and these brave men reposed in death 
upon mountains of the slain foemen. Seventeen per- 
sons only of the garrison escaped to tell the melan- 
choly tale. 

The recital of their story roused the whole people 
of the west to the danger which threatened them, and 
produced a universal cry for vengeance. The peo- 
ple of Tennessee, not immediately exposed to the 
ravages of the enemy, but sympathizing with their 
unfortunate brethren of Mississippi, took energetic 
measures to afford them relief. A numerous collec- 
tion of respectable citizens, who convened at Nash- 
ville, on the 18th of September, 1813, for the purpose 
of devising the most effectual means of affording pro- 
tection to their brethren in distress, after conferring 
with the governor, and General Jackson, strongly 
advised the propriety of marching a sufficient army 
into the heart of the Creek country ; and accordingly 
recommended this measure with great earnestness to 
the legislature, which a few days afterwards com- 
menced its session. That body immediately enacted 
a law authorizing the executive to call into service 
thirty-five hundred of the militia, to march against 
the Indians ; and to guard against all difficulties, in 
the event of the general government omitting to adopt 
them into their service, three hundred thousand dol- 
lars were voted for their support. 

Additional reasons were at hand why active ope- 
rations should be commenced with the least possible 
delay. The settlers were all hastening to the interior, 
and every day brought intelligence that the Creeks, 



RAISING OF VOLUNTEERS. 105 

collected in great force, were bending their course to- 
wards the frontiers of Tennessee. The anxiety felt 
on the occasion was greatly increased from an appre- 
hension that General Jackson would not be able to 
command. He was the only man known in the state 
who was believed to be qualified for discharging the 
arduous duties of the station, and who could carry with 
him the complete confidence of his soldiers. He was 
at this time seriously indisposed, and confined to his 
room, with a fractured arm, occasioned by a pistol 
ball received in a duel with Dickinson ; but, although 
this apprehension was seriously indulged, arrange- 
ments were in progress and measures industriously 
taken to prepare and press the expedition with every 
possible despatch. 

The governor issued an order to General Jackson, 
who, notwithstanding the state of his health, had de- 
termined to assume the command, requiring him to 
call out and rendezvous at Fayetteville, in the shortest 
possible time, two thousand of the militia and volun- 
teers of his division, to repel any invasion that might 
be contemplated. Colonel Coffee, in addition to five 
hundred cavalry already raised and under his com- 
mand, was authorized and instructed to organize and 
receive into his regiment any mounted riflemen who 
mio-ht make a tender of their services. 

Having received these orders, Jackson directed 
Colonel Coffee, with his cavalry, to hasten on to the 
neighbourhood of Huntsville, and occupy some eligible 
position for the defence of the frontier, until the in- 
fantry could arrive; the latter, consisting partly of 
those volunteers who had descended the Mississippi to 



106 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

Natchez, were called upon and directed to appear at 
Fayetteville, on the 4th of October, 1813, equipped 
and armed for active service. He pointed out the im- 
perative necessity which demanded their services, and 
urged them to be punctual ; for their frontiers were 
threatened with invasion by a savage foe. "Already," 
said he, " are large bodies of the hostile Creeks 
marching to your borders, with their seal ping-knives 
unsheathed, to butcher your women and children ; 
time is not to be lost. We must hasten to the fron- 
tier, or we shall find it drenched in the blood of our 
citizens ! The health of your general is restored — he 
will command in person." 

When the voice of their beloved commander was 
thus heard, the sons of Tennessee hastened to his 
standard. He who had stood by them and brought 
them safely home six months before, could not fail to 
procure their services whenever called for. We may 
well imagine that the women vied with the men in 
their zeal and alacrity. " Go, my son ! go, my hus- 
band ! Jackson, your father and friend, calls you — 
your country is in danger — go, help him to chastise 
the savages — he will take care of you, and bring you 
safely back home, or lay you surrounded with glory 
on the field of battle. He did not forsake you — do 
not you forsake him."* 

Every exertion was now made to hasten the pre- 
parations for a vigorous campaign. The necessary 
orders were issued to the quarter-master, and the 
contractors. When the day of rendezvous had ar- 

* Garland's Eulogy. 



ADDRESS TO THE TROOPS. 107 

rived, the general not being sufficiently recovered of 
his wound, sent by his aid-de-camp. Major Reid, an 
address, to be read to the troops, accompanied by an 
order for the establishment of the police of the camp. 
In this address he pointed to the unprovoked injuries 
that had been so long inflicted by this horde of merci- 
less and cruel savages, and entreated his soldiers to 
evince that zeal in the defence of their country, which 
the importance of the m6ment so much required. His 
address was as follows : " We are about to furnish 
these savages a lesson of admonition; — we are about 
to teach them that our long forbearance has not pro- 
ceeded from an insensibility to wrongs, or inability to 
redress them. They stand in need of such warning. 
In proportion as we have borne with their insults, 
and submitted to their outrages, have they multiplied 
in number, and increased in atrocity. But the mea- 
sure of their offences is at length filled. The blood 
of our women and children, recently spilled at Fort 
Mimms, calls for our vengeance ; it must not call in 
vain. Our borders must no longer be disturbed by 
the war-whoop of these savages, or the cries of suf- 
fering victims. The torch that has been lighted up, 
must be made to blaze in the heart of their own coun- 
try. It is time they should be made to feel the 
weight of a power, which, because it was merciful, 
they believed to be impotent. But how shall a war 
so long forborne, and so loudly called for by retribu- 
tive justice, be waged ? Shall we imitate the example 
of our enemies, in the disorder of their movements, 
and the savageness of their dispositions ? Is it wor- 
thy the character of American soldiers, who take up 



108 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

arms to redress the wrongs of an injured country, to 
assume no better model than tliat furnished them by 
barbarians? No, fellow-soldiers; great as are the 
grievances that have called us from our homes, we 
must not permit disorderly passions to tarnish the re- 
putation we shall carry along with us ; we must and 
will be victorious ; but we must conquer as men who 
owe nothing to chance, and who, in the midst of vic- 
tory, can still be mindful of what is due to humanity ! 

" We will commence the campaign by an inviolable 
attention to subordination and discipline. Without a 
strict observance of these, victory must ever be uncer- 
tain, and ought hardly to be exulted in, even when 
gained. To what but the entire disregard of order 
and subordination are we to ascribe the disasters 
which have attended our arms in the north during the 
present war ? How glorious it will be to remove the 
blots which have tarnished the fair character be- 
queathed us by the fathers of our revolution ! The 
bosom of your general is full of hope. He knows the 
ardour which animates you, and already exults in the 
triumph, which your strict observance of discipline 
and good order will render certain." 

For the police of his camp, he announced the fol- 
lowing order : 

" The chain of sentinels will be marked, and the 
sentries posted, precisely at ten o'clock to-day. 

" No sutler will be suffered to sell spirituous liquors 
to any soldier, without permission in writing from a 
commissioned officer, under the penalties prescribed 
by the rules and articles of war. 

" No citizen will be permitted to pass the chain of 



CAMP ORDERS. 109 

sentinels after retreat-beat in the evening, until reveille 
in the morning. Drunkenness, the bane of all orderly 
encampments, is positively forbidden, both in officers 
and privates : officers, under the penalty of immediate 
arrest: and privates, of being placed under guard, there 
to remain until liberated by a court-martial. 

" At reveille beat, all officers and soldiers are to 
appear on parade, with their arms and accoutrements 
in proper order. 

" On parade, silence, the duty of a soldier, is posi- 
tively commanded. 

" No officer or soldier is to sleep out of camp, but 
by permission obtained." 

Impatient to join his division, although his health 
was far from being restored, his arm only beginning 
to heal, the general set out for the encampment, and 
reached it on the 7th. Finding, on his arrival, that 
the requisition was not complete, either in the number 
of men, or the necessary equipments, measures were 
instantly taken to remedy the deficiency ; but before 
his arrangements were completed he received the most 
urgent requests to hasten towards the enemy's coun- 
try. Colonel Coffee, who commanded a regiment of 
mounted riflemen, and who had been ordered to ad- 
vance towards Huntsville, sent an express to the 
general, requesting him to advance to his support, as 
the enemy contemplated a speedy attack upon the 
frontiers with a large force. Influenced by these re- 
presentations. General Jackson marched from his 
encampment on the 10th, and reached Huntsville the 
same evening. On the following day, he united his 
force with that of Colonel Coffee, who had advanced 



no COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

to the Tennessee river, and crossed it at Pitts's Land- 
ing. Coffee was detached with seven hundred mounted 
men, to scour the country, near the Big Warrior and 
Tombigbee rivers. The main body remained seven 
days at Pitts's Landing, which time was diligently oc- 
cupied by the general in disciplining his troops. 

The most harassing part of the duties of the ge- 
neral, however, was that which unexpectedly devolved 
upon him, of making provision for the sustenance of 
his army. General Cocke, who commanded the mi- 
litia of East Tennessee, had promised that a sufficient 
quantity of provisions should be in readiness for the 
army as it advanced, and Jackson had depended upon 
his engagement. He now found, however, that the 
contractors were not able to furnish the army with 
rations for any length of time; although they had 
stated that they would have provisions for twenty 
days ready for delivery when the troops reached the 
Tennessee river. The prospect was one which would 
have shaken the resolution of many men of strong 
nerve ; but the mind of Jackson saw no difficulty too 
great to be surmounted. Having received such pro- 
visions as were in the hands of the contractors, he 
discharged them from their engagements, and employed 
others more capable of fulfilling their duties. 

General Cocke, with twenty-five hundred men which 
he had under his command, had been ordered to unite 
with Jackson ; who waited several days, and then 
marched up the river to Thompson's Creek, where he 
remained in hourly expectation of reinforcements and 
provisions. But there was no arrival, and no prospect 
of an arrival. In this state of things, without the re- 



ADDRESS TO THE TROOPS. Ill 

inforcements thought necessary to enable him to cope 
with the savages, with only two days' provision on 
the backs of his soldiers, he resolved to march down 
into the heart of the enemy's country, where he knew 
that nothing would be found but barren woods, desert- 
ed villaores, and hostile armies. For boldness of de- 
sisfn, and a fearless reliance on his own resources, this 
act is unsurpassed by any of the renowned achieve- 
ments of Hannibal or Napoleon. Bent on the accom- 
plishment of the object for which he was called into 
the field, no pressing necessity, no prospective want 
or suffering could arrest him. Any ordinary general 
would have waited, and he would have been justified 
by military rule in waiting where he was for supplies 
and reinforcements. But General Jackson was not a 
man of rule — he would not tarry while there was an 
enemy to conquer. Press forward he must, or chafe 
away his ardent soul with anxiety and regret. He 
carried within his own bosom the never-failing ele- 
ments of success. He had faith in himself, faith in 
the boundless resources of a brave heart that conquers 
impossibilities — he had that deep and trustful faith in 
the providence of God, which alone can remove moun- 
tains, and stamps its possessor with the mark of true 
greatness.* 

To prepare his troops for an engagement which he 
foresaw was soon to take place, he thus addressed 
them: 

"You have, fellow-soldiers, at length penetrated 
the country of your enemies. It is not to be believed 
that they will abandon the soil that embosoms the 

]^g * Garland's Eulogy. 



112 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

bones of their forefathers, without furnishing you an 
opportunity of signahzing your valour. Wise men 
do not expect, brave men will not desire it. It was 
not to travel unmolested through a barren v/ilderness, 
that you have quitted your families and homes, and 
submitted to so many privations ; it was to avenge 
the cruelties committed upon our defenceless frontiers 
by the inhuman Creeks, instigated by their no less in- 
human allies ; you shall not be disappointed. If the 
enemy flee before us, we will overtake and chastise 
him; we will teach him how dreadful, when once 
aroused, is the resentment of freemen. But it is not 
by boasting, that punishment is to be inflicted, or vic- 
tory obtained. The same resolution that prompted 
us to take up arms, must inspire us in battle. Men 
thus animated, and thus resolved, barbarians can 
never conquer ; and it is an enemy barbarous in the 
extreme that we have now to face. Their reliance 
will be on the damage they can do you whilst you are 
asleep and unprepared for action; their hopes shall 
fail them in the hour of experiment. Soldiers who 
know their duty and are ambitious to perform it are 
not to be taken by surprise. Our sentinels will never 
sleep, nor our soldiers be unprepared for action : yet, 
whilst it is enjoined upon the sentinels vigilantly to 
watch the approach of the foe, they are at the same 
time connmanded not to fire at shadows. Imaginary 
danger must not deprive them of entire self-posses- 
sion. Our soldiers will lie with their arms in their 
hands ; and the moment an alarm is given, they will 
move to their respective positions, without noise and 
without confusion ; they will be thus enabled to hear 



ADDRESS TO HIS SOLDIERS. 113 

the orders of their officers, and to obey them with 
promptitude. 

" Great reliance will be placed by the enemy on 
the consternation they may be able to spread through 
our ranks by the hideous yells with which they com- 
mence their battles ; but brave men will laugh at such 
efforts to alarm them. It is not by bellowings and 
screams that the wounds of death are inflicted. You 
will teach these noisy assailants how weak are their 
weapons of warfare, by opposing them with the bayo- 
net ; what Indian ever withstood its charge ? what 
arms, of any nation, ever withstood it long ? 

" Yes, soldiers, the order for a charge, will be the 
signal for victory. In that moment your enemy will 
be seen fleeing in every direction before you. But in 
the moment of action, coolness and deliberation must 
be regarded ; your fires made with precision and aim j 
and when ordered to charge with the bayonet, you 
must proceed to the assault with a quick and firm 
step ; without trepidation or alarm. Then shall you 
behold the completion of your hopes in the discomfiture 
of your enemy. Your general, whose duty as well as 
inchnation is to watch over your safety, will not, to 
gratify any wishes of his own, rush you unnecessarily 
into danger. He knows, however, that it is not in 
assailing an enemy that men are destroyed ; it is when 
retreating and in confusion. Aware of this, he will be 
prompted as much by a regard for your lives, as for 
your honour. He laments that he has been compelled, 
even incidentally, to hint at a retreat when speaking to 
fi-eemen and soldiers. Never, until you forget all that 
is due to yourselves and your country, will you have 



114 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

any practical understanding of that word. Shall an 
enemy, wholly unacquainted with military evolution, 
and who rely more for victory on their grim visages, 
and hideous yells, than upon their bravery or their 
weapons ; shall such an enemy ever drive before them 
the well-trained youths of our country, whose bosoms 
pant for glory, and a desire to avenge the wrongs they 
have received ? Your general will not live to behold 
such a spectacle ; rather would he rush into the thick- 
est of the enemy, and submit himself to their scalping- 
knives. But he has no fears of such a result; he 
knows the valour of the men he commands, and how 
certainly that valour, regulated as it will be, will lead 
to victory. With his soldiers he will face all dangers, 
and with them participate in the glory of conquest." 

Having thus prepared the minds of his men, and 
brought to their view the kind of foe Avith whom they 
were shortly to contend, and having also instructed 
General White, who commanded the advance of 
General Cocke's regiment, to form a junction with 
him, and to hasten on all the supplies in his power to 
command, he again put his army in motion to reach 
the enemy. 

Two runners now arrived from Turkey Town, 
who had been despatched by Path-Killer, a chief of 
the Cherokees; they brought information that the 
enemy from nine of the hostile towns were assembling 
in great force near the Ten Islands; and solicited 
that immediate assistance should be afforded the friend- 
ly Creeks and Cherokees in their neighbourhood, who 
were exposed to such imminent danger. Jackson re- 
plied to the Path-Killer, by his runners, that he should 



FAILURE OF THE CONTRACTORS. 



115 



proceed directly for the 
Coosa, and solicited him 
to be diligent in making 
discoveries of the situation 
and collected force of the 
savages, and to give him 
the result of his enquiries. 
" The hostile Creeks," he 
remarked to him, "will 
not attack you until they 
have had a brush with 
me ; and that, I think, will 
put them out of the notion 
of fighting for some time." 
He concluded his message 
by requesting him to send 
to the army provisions of 
any kind, or information 
where any might be had 
which would support life. 
He had advanced but a short distance, when famine 
obliged him to stop. The contractors who had been 
so much rehed on were unable to furnish the neces- 
sary supplies for the army. Jackson, impelled by 
necessity, took the contract from them, and at the in- 
stance of Major Rose, of the quarter-master's depart- 
ment, gave it to Mr. Pope, of Madison county, upon 
whose means and exertions it was thought confidence 
could be placed. To the other contractors he wrote, 
informing them of the change that had been made, 
and the reasons which had induced it. 

" I am advised," said he, " that you have candidly 




Indian runner. 



116 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

acknowledged that you have it not in your power to 
execute the contract in which you have engaged. Do 
not think I mean to cast any reflection — very far 
from it. I am exceedingly pleased with the exertions 
you have made, and feel myself under many obliga- 
tions of gratitude for them. The critical situation of 
affairs when you entered into the contract being con- 
sidered, you have done all that individuals in your 
circumstances could have performed. But you must 
be well convinced that any approbation which may 
be felt by the commander of an army for past ser- 
vices, ought not to become the occasion of that army's 
destruction. From the admissions you have been 
candid enough to make, the scarcity which already 
begins to appear in camp, and the difficulties you are 
hkely to encounter in effecting your engagements, I 
am apprehensive I should be doing injustice to the 
army I command were I to rely for support on your 
exertions — great as I know them to be. Whatever 
concerns myself, I may manage with any generosity 
or indulgence I please ; but in acting for an army, I 
have no such discretion. I have therefore felt myself 
compelled to give the contract in which you are con- 
cerned to another, who is abundantly able to execute 
it, on condition he indemnify you for the trouble you 
have been at." 

This arrangement being made, the army continued 
its march, and General Jackson, to prevent further 
delays, wrote to various sources, calling, in the most 
pressing manner, for supplies. He wrote thus to the 
Governor of Georgia, with whose forces it was pro- 
posed to act in concert ; to Colonel Meigs, agent to 



SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS. 117 

the Cherokees, and to Generals Cocke and White. 
Having arrived within a few miles of the Ten Islands, 
he was met by old Chinnaby, a leading chief of the 
Creek nation, and sternly opposed to the war party. 
The troops were here again detained a day, for the 
purpose of obtaining small supplies of corn from the 
neighbouring friendly Indians. This scanty acquisition, 
affording subsistence for the present, encouraged his 
hopes for the future, as a means of temporary resort, 
should his other resources fail. In a few days more 
he reached the islands of the Coosa. 

In a letter to Governor Blount of Tennessee, from 
this place, speaking of the difficulties with which he 
was assailed, he observes : — " Indeed, sir, we have 
been very wretchedly supplied — scarcely two rations 
in succession have been regularly drawn ; yet we are 
not despondent. Whilst we can procure an ear of 
corn apiece, or anything that will answer as a substi- 
tute for it, we shall continue our exertions to accom- 
plish the object for which we were sent. The cheer- 
fulness with which my men submit to privations and 
are ready to encounter danger, does honour to the 
government whose rights they are defending. 

" Every means within my power for procuring the 
requisite supplies for my army I have taken, and am 
continuing to take. East, west, north, and south have 
been applied to with the most pressing solicitation. 
The Governor of Georgia, in a letter received from 
him this evening, informs me that a sufficiency can be 
had in his state ; but does not signify that he is about 
to take any measures to procure it. My former con- 
tractor has been superseded : no exertions were spared 



118 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

by him to fulfil his engagements ; yet the inconveni- 
ences under which he laboured were such as to ren- 
der his best exertions unavailing. The contract has 
been offered to one who will be able to execute it : if 
he accepts it, my apprehensions will be greatly dimi- 
nished." 

Previous to his departure from Thompson's Creek, 
General Jackson had detached Colonel Dyer, with in- 
structions to attack and destroy the Indian town of 
Littafutches, on Canoe Creek. The expedition was 
entirely successful, and twenty-nine prisoners fell into 
the hands of the victors. Colonel Dyer rejoined the 
main army on the 28th of October. 

The advance of the East Tennessee militia, not 
having yet come up, Jackson despatched another ex- 
press to General White, on the 31st of October, 
urging him to effect a speedy junction, and to bring 
with him all the bread-stuffs it should be in his power 
to procure ; pointing out to him, at the same time, the 
great inconvenience and hazard to which he had been 
already exposed by the want of punctuality in himself 
and General Cocke. Owing to that cause, and the 
late failure of his contractors, he represented his army 
as placed, at present, in a very precarious situation, 
and as dependent in a great measure for its support 
on the exertions which he and General Cocke might 
be pleased to make ; but assured him at the same 
time, that, let circumstances transpire as they might, 
he would still endeavour to effect his purpose ; and, 
at all events, was resolved to hasten, with every prac- 
ticable despatch, to the accomplishment of the object 
for which he had set out. Believing the co-operation 



COMPLETES HIS ARRANGEMENTS. 



119 




Bringing in Prisoners and Cattle. 



of the East Tennessee troops essential to this end, 
they were again instructed to join him without delay ; 
for he could not conceive it to be correct policy, that 
troops from the same state, pursuing the same object, 
should constitute separate and distinct armies, and 
act without concert, and independently of each other. 
He entertained no doubt but that his order would be 
promptly obeyed. 

The next evening a detachment which had been 
sent out the evening before returned, bringing with 
them, besides some corn and beeves, several negroes 
and Indians, prisoners of the war party. 

Thus, amidst dangers, disappointments, and diffi- 
culties, which by any other man would have been con- 
sidered insurmountable, did General Jackson com- 
17 



120 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CREEK WAR. 

mence the Creek war. An English writer* speaking 
of this war says that " it was the most glorious ex- 
ploit of this wonderful man. It was a campaign 
meriting greater praise than ten thousand lives like 
that of Wellington ; and yet a campaign, which, before 
his time, had never yet been heard of in England." In 
commencing the narration of the events of the war, 
he says, he " need not bespeak the reader's wonder 
and admiration; for the man who will not admire 
here, is hardly worthy of the name of man." He "de- 
sires the English reader to prepare himself for a series 
of transactions wholly incredible, were they not at- 
tested by piles of official documents, the authenticity 
of which no man can dispute." 

* William Cobbct, M. P. for Oldham. 





Lincoyer. 



CHAPTER VI. 

TALLUSHATCHEE. 




TMPATIENT of the delay, 
J_ General Jackson proceeded 
through trackless forests and 
across almost impenetrable 
swamps, determined at all 
hazards, to cut his way to 
the enemy, and end the war 
by a sudden and fatal blow. 



122 TALLUSHATCHEE. 

Though ahiiost destitute of provisions, with few men, 
but poorly equipped, yet he turned not aside to the 
right hand nor to the left to wait for reinforcements 
or to seek supplies. On the 2d of November, the old 
chief, Chinnaby, brought the information to Jackson 
that a considerable number of the enemy had posted 
themselves at Tallushatchee, an Indian town on the 
south side of the Coosa, about thirteen miles distant. 
General Coffee was immediately detached, with nine 
hundred men, consisting of part of his brigade of ca- 
valry and corps of mounted riflemen, with instructions 
to attack and defeat or disperse the enemy at Tallus- 
hatchee. Guided by a friendly Indian, Coffee crossed 
the Coosa at the Fish Dams, about four miles above 
the Islands, and encamped on the southern side of the 
river. 

Early the next morning he proceeded to execute 
his orders. Having arrived within a mile and a half, 
he formed his detachment into two divisions, orderinsf 
one of them under Colonel Allcorn to march to the 
right of the town, while he with the other division 
passed to the left ; the fronts of the two divisions to 
unite beyond the town and thus effectually enclose it, 
and prevent the escape of the enemy. 

The Indians, hearing by their spies of the approach 
of the Americans, began to prepare for action, which 
was announced by the beating of drums, mingled with 
their savage yells and war-whoops. An hour after 
sunrise the action was commenced by two companies 
of spies, who had gone within the circle of alignment 
for the purpose of drawing the Indians from their 
buildings. No sooner had these companies exhibited 



BATTLE OF T ALLUSHATCHEE. 123 

their front in view of the town, and given a few scat- 
tering shot, than the enemy formed and made a violent 
charge. Being compelled to give way, the advanced 
guard were pursued until they reached the main body 
of the army, which immediately opened a general fire, 
and charged in their turn. The Indians retreated, 
firing, until they got around and into their buildings, 
where an obstinate conflict ensued, and where those 
who maintained their ground persisted in fighting as 
long as they could stand or sit, without manifesting 
fear or soliciting quarter. The number of the enemy 
killed was one hundred and eighty-six. Eighty-four 
women and children were taken prisoners, towards 
whom the greatest humanity was shown. Not one 
of the warriors escaped to carry the news — a circum- 
stance heretofore unknown. Of the Americans, five 
were killed and forty-one wounded. Two of these 
were killed with arrows, which, on this occasion, 
formed a principal part of the arms of the Indians ; 
each one having a bow and quiver, which he used 
after the first fire of his gun, until an opportunity oc- 
curred for reloading. 

Having buried his dead, and provided for his 
wounded, General Coflfee, late on the evening of the 
same day, united with the main army, bringing with 
him about forty prisoners. Of the residue, a part were 
too badly wounded to be removed, and were therefore 
left, with a sufficient number to take care of them. 
Those which he brought in received every comfort 
and assistance their situation demanded, and, for safe- 
ty, were immediately sent into the settlements. 

" Among these there was an infant boy, who had 



124 



TALLUSHATCHEE. 




Adoption of Lincoyer. 



been found unhurt, suckling the hfeless breast of his 
Indian mother. Jackson requested the captive women 
to take care of the child. They refused ; ' All his re- 



ADOPTION OF LINCOYER. 125 

lations,' they said, ' are dead — kill him too !' Oh ! how 
those words thrilled through the heart of the orphan 
general! 'All my relations, also,' thought he, 'are 
dead !' He took the infant to his own tent — with his 
own hands he fed him with sugared water — he sent 
him home to Nashville to become the adopted child 
of the Hermitage — with the aid of his willing wife he 
reared that boy to manhood, educated him to business, 
engaged all his affections — and when Lincoyer died, 
that affectionate and childless couple wept over his 
grave and remembered him as a son."* 

From the manner in which the enemy fought, the 
killing and wounding others than their warriors was 
not to be avoided. On their retreat to their village 
after the commencement of the battle, they resorted 
to their block-houses, and strong log dwellings, whence 
they kept up resistance, and resolutely maintained the 
fight. Thus mingled with their women and children, 
it was impossible they should not be exposed to the 
general danger; and many were injured, notwith- 
standing every possible precaution was taken to pre- 
vent it. In fact, many of the women united with their 
warriors, and contended in the battle with fearless 
bravery. 

" Thus ended the battle of Tallushatchee, — a name 
that will ring sadly in the ear of every surviving Creek 
to the end of time. The terrors of that field, will, 
however, be remembered by all, both white and red, 
with mingled emotions, for it bears immortal testimony 
to the humanity, as well as the mihtary genius of 
Jackson." t 

*Bolles's Eulogy. *Ibid. 

18 



126 TALLUSHATCHEE. 

The country, into the midst of which General Jack- 
son had now penetrated, being filled with bands of 
hostile Indians, it was necessary to secure a commu- 
nication with the settlements, by establishing garrisons 
at proper intervals along the road. He accordingly 
took measures to estabhsh a permanent depot, on the 
north bank of the Coosa, at the Ten Islands, to be 
protected by strong picketing and block-houses. 
Well knowing that it would greatly weaken his army 
to occupy in his advance the different points neces- 
sary to the safety of his rear, it was desirable to unite 
as soon as possible with the troops of East Tennessee. 
To effect this, he again, on the 4th of November, de- 
spatched an express to General White, who had pre- 
viously arrived at Turkey Town, a Cherokee village, 
about twenty-five miles up the same river, urging him 
to unite with the main army as soon as possible, and 
again entreating him to procure and forward provi- 
sions ; to bring with him such as he had on hand ; and 
to endeavour to form some certain arrangement which 
might ensure a supply in future. Receiving no answer 
from General White, he despatched another express 
on the 7th. 

No certain intelligence had as yet been received 
of any considerable collection of the enemy. The 
army was busily engaged in fortifying and strengthen- 
ing the site fixed upon for a depot, to which the name 
of Fort Strother had been given. 




■ — ^ ^Ol 



The Dinner of Acorns. 



CHAPTER VII. 



TALLADEGA, 



ATE on the evening of the 7th 
of November, a runner arrived 
J from Talladega, a fort of the 
]l) friendly Indians, distant about 
thirty miles below, with in- 
formation that the enemy 
had, that morning, encamped 
before it in great numbers, 
and would certainly destroy the fort, and all within it, 
unless immediate assistance could be afforded. Jack- 




128 TALLADEGA. 

son determined to lose no time in extending the relief 
which was solicited. Understanding that General 
White was on his way to join him, he despatched 
another messenger to meet him, directing him to reach 
Fort Strother in the course of the ensuing night, and 
protect it in his absence. He then gave orders for 
taking up the line of march, with twelve hundred in- 
fantry, and eight hundred cavalry and mounted rifle- 
men; leaving behind the sick, the wounded, and all 
his baggage, w ith a force which was deemed sufficient 
for their protection, until the reinforcement from 
Turkey Town should arrive. 

The friendly Indians who had taken refuge in this 
besieged fort, had involved themselves in their present 
perilous situation from a disposition to preserve their 
amicable relations with the United States. To suffer 
them to fall a sacrifice from any tardiness of move- 
ment, would have been unpardonable ; and unless re- 
lief was immediately extended, it might arrive too late. 
The same spirit which induced the general to hazard 
his reputation in protecting his countrymen at Natchez, 
induced him, without hesitation, to extend protec- 
tion to those faithful natives, whose fate was identi- 
fied with the success or defeat of the American arms. 

Acting under these impressions, the general deter- 
mined to move forward instantly to their assistance. 
By midnight, everything was in readiness ; and in an 
hour afterward the army commenced crossing the 
river, about a mile above the camp, each of the 
mounted men carrying one of the infantry behind him. 
The river at this place was six hundred yards wide, 
and it being necessary to send back the horses for the 



FORCED MARCH. 129 

remainder of the infantry, several hours were con- 
sumed before a passage of all the troops could be ef- 
fected. Nevertheless, though thus deprived of sleep, 
they continued the march with animation ; and by 
evening the next day, had arrived within six miles of 
the enemy. 

In this march, Jackson used the utmost precaution 
to prevent surprise ; marching his army, as was his 
constant custom, in three columns, so that, by a speedy 
manoeuvre, they might be thrown into such a situation 
as to be capable of resisting an attack from any 
quarter. Having judiciously encamped his men on 
an eligible piece of ground, he sent forward two of the 
friendly Indians, and a white man, named May field, 
who had for many years been detained a captive in 
the nation, and was now acting as interpreter, to re- 
connoitre the position of the enemy. About eleven 
o'clock at night they returned with information that 
the savages were posted within a quarter of a mile of 
the fort, and appeared to be in great force ; but that 
they had not been able to approach near enough to 
ascertain either their numbers or precise situation. 

Within an hour after this, old Chinnaby arrived 
from Turkey Town, with a letter from General White, 
stating, that after having taken up the line of march, 
to unite at Fort Strother, he had received orders fi-om 
General Cocke to change his course, and proceed to 
the mouth of the Chautugu Creek. It was most dis- 
tressing intelligence ; the sick and wounded had been 
left with no other calculation for their safety and de- 
fence, than that this detachment of the army, agree- 
ably to his request, would, by advancing upon Fort 



130 TALLADEGA. 

Strother, serve the double purpose of protecting his 
rear, and enabling; him to advance still farther into the 
enemy's country. The information which was now 
received proved that all those salutary anticipations 
were at an end, and that evils of the worst kind might 
be the consequence. Intelligence so disagreeable, and 
so unexpected, filled the mind of Jackson with appre- 
hensions of a serious and alarming character ; and, 
dreading lest the enemy, by taking a different route, 
should attack his encampment in his absence, he de- 
termined to lose no time in brinCTina him to battle. 

Orders were accordingly given to the adjutant- 
general to prepare the line ; and, by four o'clock the 
next morning, the army was again in motion. The 
infantry proceeded in three columns ; the cavalry in 
the same order, in the rear, with flankers on each 
wing. The advance, consisting of a company of ar- 
tillerests with muskets, two companies of riflemen, 
and one of spies, marched about four hundred yards in 
front, under the command of Colonel Carroll, inspector- 
general, with orders, after commencing the action, to 
fall back on the centre, so as to draw the enemy after 
them. At seven o'clock, having arrived within a mile 
of the enemy, the columns were displayed in order of 
battle. Two hundred and fifty of the cavalry and 
mounted riflemen were placed in the rear of the centre 
as a corps de reserve. General Hall's brigade occu- 
pied the right — General Roberts' the left, and were 
ordered to advance by heads of companies. The 
cavalry were ordered, after having encircled the enemy 
by uniting the fronts of their columns and keeping 
their rear connected with the infantry, to face and 




mv. ^ 



.vA,>x ,-*sm^^^hU 



-^^Sak 



ot;^Sg^*ij^;JOs> 



BATTLE OF TALLADEGA, 131 

press inwards towards the centre, so as to leave the 
enemy no possibility of escape. 

About eiorht o'clock, the advance havina^ arrived 
within eighty yards of the shrubbery, which covered 
the margin of a small rivulet, received a heavy fire, 
which they instantly returned with much spirit. 
Agreeably to their instructions, they retired towards 
the centre, but not before they had dislodged the ene- 
my from his position. The Indians, now screaming 
and yelling hideously, rushed forward in the direction 
of General Roberts' brigade, three companies of which, 
alarmed by the number and yells of their opponents, 
gave way after the first fire. To fill the vacancy oc- 
casioned by this retreat, Jackson ordered up the regi- 
ment of volunteers commanded by Colonel Bradley ; 
but, finding the advance of the enemy too rapid to 
admit of their arrival in time, he was compelled to 
order the reserve to dismount and fill the chasm. 
This order was executed with great promptitude and 
gallantry, and the enemy in that quarter speedily re- 
pulsed. The militia who had retreated, seeing the 
spirited manner in which the reserve so promptly sup- 
plied their places, rallied, and recovering their former 
position in the line, aided in checking the advance of 
the savages. The engagement now became general, 
and in fifteen minutes the enemy were seen fly in o- in 
every direction. On the left they were met and re- 
pulsed by the mounted riflemen. On the right a part 
of them escaped through the opening between the 
right wing of the cavalry and the infantry, which 
should have been filled by Bradley's regiment, and 



19 



132 TALLADEGA. 

were pursued with great slaughter to the mountains, 
a distance of three miles. 

Jackson, in his report of this action, bestows high 
commendation on the officers and soldiers. "Too 
much praise," he observes in the close of it, " cannot 
be bestowed on the advance, led by Colonel Carrol, for 
the spirited manner in which they commenced and 
sustained the attack; nor upon the reserve, com- 
manded by Lieutenant-Colonel Dyer, for the gallantry 
with which they met and repulsed the enemy. In a 
word, officers of every grade, as well as privates, rea- 
lized the high expectations I had formed of them, and 
merit the gratitude of their country." 

" Thus did this gallant little army, scarcely pausing 
to eat their meager rations, but appeasing their hun- 
ger as they could with a handful of parched corn, or 
a few acorns snatched from the ground as they hur- 
ried on, rush ever forward, and ere the besieging force 
were aware of the presence of an enemy, they were 
wholly surrounded, and the thunderbolt of war over- 
whelmed them with sudden destruction."* 

In the battle of Talladega the force of the enemy 
was one thousand and eighty, of whom two hundred 
and ninety-nine were left dead on the ground, and it 
is believed that many were killed in the flight, who 
were not found when the estimate was made. Proba- 
bly few escaped unhurt. Their loss on this occasion 
as stated since by themselves, was not less than six 
hundred : that of the Americans was fifteen killed and 
eighty wounded, several of whom afterwards died. 

* Bulles's Eiilocv. 



RELIEF OF FORT STROTHER. 133 

Jackson, after collecting his dead and wounded, ad- 
vanced his army beyond the fort, and encamped for 
the night. The Indians who had been for several 
days shut up by the besiegers, thus fortunately libe- 
rated from the most dreadful apprehensions and se- 
verest privations, having for some time been entirely 
without water, received the army with all the demon- 
strations of gratitude that savages could give. Their 
manifestations of joy for their deliverance presented an 
interesting and affecting spectacle. Their fears had 
been greatly excited, for it was the very day when 
they were to have been assaulted, and when every 
soul within the fort must have perished. All the pro- 
visions they could spare from their scanty stock they 
sold to the general, who, purchasing with his own mo- 
ney, distributed them among the soldiers who were 
almost destitute. 

With great regret Jackson found himself unable to 
follow up his victory. The condition of the posts in 
his rear, the want of provisions, the desertion (for no 
milder name can be applied to these proceedings) of 
General Cocke, compelled him to hasten back. The 
enemy thus gained time to recover from their conster- 
nation, and to reassemble their forces. 

The cause which prevented General White from 
acting in obedience to his order, and arriving at Fort 
Strother at a moment when it was so important, and 
when it was so confidently expected, was as yet un- 
known to the general ; the only certainty upon the 
subject was, that for the present it wholly thwarted 
his views, and laid him under the painful necessity of 
returning, instead of penetrating father into the en- 



134 TALLADEGA. 

emy's country. This mystery, hitherto inexphcable, 
was some time after explained, by a view of the order 
of General Cocke, under which White, being a briga- 
dier in his division, chose to act, rather than under 
Jackson's. General Cocke stated to him that he had 
called a council of officers, who had unanimously de- 
cided not to follow Jackson, but to cross the river, 
and proceed against the Creek settlements on the Tal- 
lapoosa. This decision meeting with Cocke's appro- 
bation, he directed White forthwith to unite with him 
at his encampment. The only aim of Cocke in this 
proceeding seems to have been to thwart the views 
and arrest the successes of Jackson ; and perhaps 
jealousy, in no inconsiderable degree, was the moving 
spring to his conduct. Both were major-gduerals 
from the state of Tennessee, sent on the same im- 
portant errand, to check an insolent foe, who had 
practised the most cruel and unprovoked outrages. 
Jackson was the senior officer of the Tennessee 
forces, and of course claimed the right of commanding 
the whole that were in service. Cocke considered 
himself as possessing a command independent of 
Jackson. This circumstance produced division, and 
a collision of orders, when all should have been union 
and harmony, and, as we shall see, was the means of 
greatly lengthening the war. 

Having buried his dead with the honours of war, 
and provided htters for the wounded. General Jackson 
reluctantly commenced his return march on the morn- 
inor succeeding the battle. In this short march the 
soldiers were reduced to the last extremity for want 
of provisions. " A soldier in the rear of the army 



DINNER OF ACORNS. 135, 

perceived Jackson seated under an oak tree, leisurely 
eating.* ' Well,' thoii<:ht he, 'the general has taken 
good care of himself, and left the poor soldier to starve. 
I '11 go and beg a morsel of bread.' ' Yes,' said the 
general, ' I never turn away the hungry ;' and offering 
a handful of acorns, added, ' I will most cheerfully di- 
vide with you such food as I have.' The soldier gazed 
with tearful and mute admiration on his now thrice 
beloved chief, and marched on with a more cheerful 
heart. There is nothing the soldier will not endure, 
when shared by his leader."t 

The general confidently hoped, from the previous 
assurances of the contractors, that by the time of his 
return to Fort Strother, sufficient supplies would have 
arrived there ; but, to his inexpressible uneasiness, he 
found that not a particle had been forwarded since his 
departure, and that, what had been left, was already 
consumed. A scanty supply of beef, taken from the 
enemy, or purchased of the Cherokees, was now the 
only support afforded. Thus left destitute, Jackson, 
with the utmost cheerfulness of temper, repaired to 
the bullock-pen ; and of the offal there thrown away, 
provided for himself and stafT, what he was pleased 
to call, and seemed really to think, a very comfortable 
repast. 

While General Jackson remained wholly unmoved 
by his own privations, he was filled with solicitude 
and concern for his army. His utmost exertions, un- 
ceasingly applied, were insufficient to remove the suf- 
ferings to which he saw them exposed ; and, though 

*See page 127. t Garland's Eulogy. 



136 



TALLADEGA. 




Soldiers coucocliiig iMuliiiy. 



they were by no means so great as they themselves 
represented, yet were undoubtedly such as to be se- 
verely felt. " The general had now to contend with 
a more formidable enemy even than famine — mutiny 
in his own camp. The main body of the army con- 
sisted of two regiments — the regiment of volunteers 
that had followed him to Natchez the winter before — 
and a regiment of drafted mihtia. The militia, dis- 
gusted with the neglect and ill-treatment they had 
received, instigated by their officers, and seized with 
the home-fever, resolved to quit the camp, and return 
to Tennessee. Apprised of their design, Jackson drew 
up the regiment of volunteers in their front, and or- 
dered them to fire whenever the mutineers com 



MUTINY, 137 

menced their march. Awed by this act of boldness, 
the miUtia returned to their duty. 

" What was the mortification of the general, next 
morning, to find the volunteers themselves in a state 
of rebellion ! Those very men whom he would not 
abandon in their hour of need, were now ready to 
abandon him, their camp, and their duty. Unappalled 
by this rapid succession of calamities, the ready mind 
and prompt will of Jackson did not fail him. The 
militia, whose rebellion had been conquered but the 
day before, were now drawn up to oppose this new 
mutiny; and so stern and resolute were their counte- 
nances, that the volunteers thought it best to desist 
from their purposes, and return to camp."* 

From this time the militia manifested a much more 
obedient and patriotic disposition than the volunteers ; 
who, having adopted a course which they discovered 
must finally involve them in dishonour if it should fail, 
were exceedingly anxious for its success, and that it 
might have the appearance of being founded on justice. 
On this subject the pretensions of the cavalry were 
certainly much better established ; as they were en- 
tirely without forage, and without any prospect of soon 
obtaining any. They petitioned, therefore, to be per- 
mitted to return into the settled parts of the country, 
pledging themselves, by their platoon and field-officers, 
that if sufficient time were allowed to recruit the ex- 
hausted state of their horses, and to procure their 
winter clothing, they would return to the performance 
of their duty whenever called on. The general, un- 

* Garland's Eulogy. 



138 TALLADEGA. 

able from many causes to prosecute the campaign, 
and confiding in the assurance given, granted the 
prayer of their petition, and they immediately set out 
on their return. 

About this time General Jackson's hope of being 
able to maintain the conquests he had made, began 
to be confirmed by letters just received from the 
contractors, and principal wagon-masters, stating that 
sufficient supplies for the army were then on the road, 
and would shortly arrive; but discontents, to an 
alarming degree, still prevailed in his camp. To allay 
them, if possible, he hastened to lay before the division 
the information and letters he had received ; and, at 
the same time, invited the field and platoon-officers to 
his quarters, to consult on the measures to be pur- 
sued. Having assembled them, and w ell knowing that 
the flame of discontent, which had so lately shown 
itself, was only for the present smothered, and might 
burst forth in serious injury, he addressed them in an 
animated speech, in which he extolled their patriotism 
and achievements ; lamented the privations to which 
they had been exposed, and endeavoured to reanimate 
them by the prospect of speedy relief, which he ex- 
pected with confidence on the following day. He 
spoke of the conquests they had already made, and 
of the dreadful consequences that must result should 
they now be abandoned. 

"What," continued he, "is the present situation 
of our camp? a number of our fellow-soldiers are 
wounded and unable to help themselves. Shall it be 
said that we are so lost to humanity as to leave them 
in this condition ? Can any one, under these circum- 



SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS. 139 

stances and under these prospects, consent to an 
abandonment of the camp ; of all that we have ac- 
quired in the midst of so many difficulties, privations, 
and dangers ; of what it wall cost us so much to re- 
gain; of what we never can regain, — our brave 
wounded companions who will be murdered by our 
unthinking, unfeeling inhumanity ? Surely there can 
be none such ! No, we will take with us when we go, 
our wounded and sick. They must not, — shall not 
perish by our cold blooded indifference. But why 
should you despond ? I do not, and yet your wants 
are not greater than mine. To be sure, we do not 
live sumptuously : but no one has died of hunger, or 
is likely to die ; and then how animating are our pros- 
pects! Large supplies are at Deposit, and already 
are officers despatched to hasten them on. Wagons 
are on the way ; a large number of beeves are in the 
neighbourhood; and detachments are out to bring 
them in. — All these resources surely cannot fail. I 
have no wish to starve you — none to deceive you. 
Stay contentedly, and if supplies do not arrive in two 
days, we will all march back together, and throw the 
blame of our failure where it should properly lie ; un- 
til then, we certainly have the means of subsisting ; 
and if we are compelled to bear privations, let us re- 
member that they are borne for our country, and are 
not greater than many, perhaps most armies have 
been compelled to endure. I have called you together 
to tell you my feelings and my wishes ; this evening 
think on them seriously ; and let me know yours in 
the morning." 

Having retired to their tents and deliberated on the 
20 



140 TALLADEGA. 

measures most proper to be adopted in this emergency, 
the officers of the volunteer briorade came to the con- 
elusion that " nothing short of marching the army im- 
mediately back to the settlements could prevent those 
difficulties and that disgrace which must attend a for- 
cible desertion of the camp by his soldiers." The of- 
ficers of the militia determined differently, and report- 
ed a vi^illingness to maintain the post a few days lon- 
ger, that it might be ascertained whether or not a suf- 
ficiency of provisions could be had. " If it can, let us 
proceed with the campaign; — if not, let us be marched 
back to where it can be procured." The general, who 
greatly preferred the latter opinion, was nevertheless 
disposed to gratify those who appeared unwilling to 
submit to further hardships ; and with this view or- 
dered General Hall to march the volunteers to Fort 
Deposit, and after satisfying their wants, to return, 
and act as an escort to the provisions. One-half of 
the brigade however, unwilling to be outdone by the 
militia, consented to remain, and the other half pro- 
ceeded alone. On this occasion he could not forbear 
to remark, that men for whom he cherished so strong 
an affection, and for whom he was willing to sacrifice 
every thing but honour, desiring to abandon him at a 
moment when their presence was so particularly ne- 
cessary, filled him with emotions which the strongest 
language was too feeble to express. "I was pre- 
pared," he continued, " to endure every evil but dis- 
grace, and as I never can submit to this myself, I can 
give no encouragement to it in others." 

Two days had now elapsed since the departure of 
the volunteers, and no supplies had arrived. The mi- 



QUELLS THE MUTINY. 141 

litia with great earnestness demanded a performance 
of the pledge which had been given them, that they 
should be marched back to the settlements. From 
information lately received, Jackson was confident 
that relief was not far distant ; but having pledged him- 
self, he could use no arguments or entreaties to de- 
tain them any longer, and immediately took measures 
for complying with their wishes and the promise he 
had made them. This was to him a moment of the 
deepest dejection. While thus pondering on the 
gloomy prospects, he lifted up his hands and ex- 
claimed, with a look and manner which showed how 
much he felt, "If only two men will remain with 
me, I will never abandon this post." Captain Gordon, 
of the spies, facetiously replied, " You have one, gene- 
ral, let us look if we can't find another ;" and imme- 
diately, with a zeal suited to the occasion, undertook, 
with some of the general's staff, to raise volunteers ; 
and, in a little while, succeeded in procuring one 
hundred and nine, who declared a determination to 
remain and protect the post. 

The general then set out towards Deposit with the 
remainder of the army, who were made distinctly to 
understand that, on meeting supplies, they were to 
return and prosecute the campaign. They did meet 
supplies, not far from the camp ; but, so far from re- 
turning, they seemed more determined to go forward. 
Going alone among his men, to appease them by ar- 
gument and remonstrance, Jackson found the spirit 
of mutiny so prevalent and determined, that he seized 
a musket, stood out in front of the brigade, and, being 
still without the use of his left arm, levelled the 



142 TALLADEGA. 

weapon across the neck of his horse, and proclaimed 
that the first man who moved in the ranks should be 
shot down. Mute astonishment seized on the whole 
army — no one moved — no one spoke. What was 
one emaciated and wounded man to a thousand — one 
musket to a thousand in the hands of unerring marks- 
men ? It was not fear that awed these brave men, 
but astonishment and admiration at the daring, the 
magnanimity, and heroic self-sacrifice of the man that 
stood before them. A murmur of applause ran along 
the lines, and they signified their willingness to return.* 
It is very certain that but for the firmness of the gene- 
ral at this critical moment, the campaign would for 
the present have been broken up, and would probably 
never have been recommenced. 

* Garland's Eulogy. 





HiUabee Duputies. 



CHAPTER VIII 



HILLABEE TOWNS — DESERTIONS AND 
MUTINY — GEORGIA VICTORIES. 




SHORT time after the 
victory at Talladega, 
General Jackson re- 
ceived deputies from 
the Hillabee tribes, 



144 HILLABEE DEPUTIES. 

who had formed the principal strength of the enemy, 
offering to make peace ; and expressing their vviUing- 
ness to agree to any conditions he might think proper 
to impose. He informed them, in answer to their re- 
quest, that the war had only been waged to defend 
the frontiers from the aggressions of the Indians, and 
to bring to a proper sense of duty a people to whom 
his government had ever shown the utmost kindness, 
and who, nevertheless, had committed against her 
citizens the most unprovoked depredations ; and that 
it would end only when it should become certain that 
this object was attained. 

" Upon those," continued he, " who are disposed 
to become friendly, I neither wish nor intend to make 
war ; but they must afford evidences of the sincerity 
of their professions ; the prisoners and property they 
have taken from us and the friendly Creeks must be 
restored ; the instigators of the war, and the murderers 
of our citizens, must be surrendered ; the latter must 
and will be made to feel the force of our resentment. 
Long shall they remember Fort Mimms in bitterness 
and tears." 

These propositions would doubtless have been ac- 
ceded to, had not the course pursued by General 
Cocke broken off all the negotiations. That officer 
was informed by General Jackson of the applications 
of the Hillabees, and the nature of the answ er he had 
sent to them ; bat he had previously detached General 
White, with orders to proceed against and destroy 
their towns. He commenced his march on the 11th 
of November ; his force consisting of a regiment of 
mounted infantry under Colonel Burch, a battalion of 



DESTRUCTION OF THE HILLABEES. 145 

cavalry under Major Porter, and three hundred Chero- 
kees commanded by Colonel Morgan. On his route 
he passed and destroyed the towns of Little Oakfusku 
and Genatga, consisting, the first of thirty, the second 
of ninety-three houses. The town called Nitty Chop- 
toa was preserved, in the suppositioft that it might be 
useful at some future period. On the 17th, after 
marching more than one hundred miles, he arrived in 
the vicinity of a town containing a considerable force 
of Indians. Colonels Burch and Morgan were sent 
forward by General White, with the infantry and 
Cherokees, to surround the town and prevent any of 
the enemy from escaping. They not only executed 
their orders, but captured it before the arrival of the 
rest of the detachment, without losing a single man. 
Sixty of the Hillabee warriors were killed, and about 
two hundred and fifty of their women and children 
taken prisoners. The fact of such slaughter being 
committed among them, while the American troops 
sustained no loss, and had not even a man injured, 
can only be accounted for by the supposition that the 
Hillabees considered it dishonourable to fight with 
those with whom they were negotiating for peace. 
Regarding the detachment under General White as a 
part of Jackson's army, and believing the attack upon 
them to have been made by his direction, they lost 
confidence in him, and refused ever afterwards to make 
any terms of peace. From this time they would never 
give or receive quarter, preferring death to submission, 
and revenging upon those who fell into their power 
the treachery, as they deemed it, of the American 
general. 
21 



146 MUTINY. 

In the meantime General Jackson proceeded to 
Deposit and Ditto's Landing, where the most effectual 
means in his power were taken with the contractors 
for obtaining regular supplies in future. There also 
he learned that the whole of the detachment from 
Tennessee had been received by the president into 
the service of the United States, and he began to think 
that the difficulties he had hitherto encountered would 
not recur, and that now his operations could no more 
be impeded by a want of supplies. He was mistaken. 
The volunteers at Deposit were only restrained from 
breaking out into open mutiny by an animated ad- 
dress of the general, who, having assembled them to- 
gether, painted in the most glowing colours, all the 
consequences that were to be apprehended, if from 
any defection of theirs, the campaign should be aban- 
doned, or ineffectually prosecuted. 

On his return to Fort Strother, he found the volun- 
teers, now that they no longer had any reason to cla- 
mour for bread, were as noisy and earnest in calling 
for their discharge. They insisted that having volun- 
teered to serve one year out of two, they would be 
entitled to their discharge on the tenth of December, 
that being the termination of a year from the day they 
had first entered the service ; and that although they 
had been a greater part of the time disengaged and 
unemployed, that recess was, nevertheless, to be taken 
into computation. Jackson replied that the law of 
Congress under which their services had been accept- 
ed could contemplate nothing less than actual active 
service of twelve months out of twenty-four ; and until 



LETTER TO MR. BLACKBURN. 147 

that was performed, he could not, unless specially au- 
thorized, undertake to discharge them. 

Foreseeing the consequences which might result if 
they persisted in their refusal to serve beyond the 
10th of December, the general began to provide other 
means for a continuance of the campaign, that, even 
if they all deserted him, he might still be prepared to 
act. Accordingly, he ordered General Roberts to re- 
turn and fill up the deficiencies in his brigade, and 
despatched Colonel Carroll and Major Searcy into 
Tennessee, to raise volunteers to serve six months, or 
during the war. He also wrote pressing letters to 
many respectable and influential men, exhorting them 
to contribute their assistance to the accomplishment 
of this object. To a letter just received from the Re- 
verend Gideon Blackburn, assuring him that volun- 
teers from Tennessee would eagerly hasten to his re- 
lief if they knew their services were wanted, he replied, 

"Reverend Sir, — Your letter has been just re- 
ceived : I thank you for it ; I thank you most sincere- 
ly. It arrived at a moment when my spirits needed 
such a support. 

" I left Tennessee with an army, brave, I believe, 
as any general ever commanded. I have seen them in 
battle, and my opinion of their bravery is not changed ; 
but their fortitude — on this too I relied — has been too 
severely tested. Perhaps I was wrong in believing 
that nothing but death could conquer the spirits of 
brave men. I am sure I was; for my men I know are 
brave, yet privations have rendered them discontent- 
ed : that is enough. The expedition must neverthe- 
less be prosecuted to a successful termination. New 



148 LETTER TO MR. BLACKBURN. 

volunteers must be raised to conclude what has been 
so auspiciously begun by the old ones. Gladly would 
I save these men from themselves, and ensure them a 
harvest which they have sown ; but if they will aban- 
don it to others, it must be so. 

" You are good enough to say, if I need your as- 
sistance, it will be cheerfully afforded. I do need it 
greatly. The influence you possess over the minds of 
men is great and well founded, and can never be better 
applied than in summoning volunteers to the defence 
of their country, their liberty, and their religion. 
While we light the savage, who makes war only 
because he delights in blood, and who has gotten his 
booty when he has scalped his victim, we are, through 
him, contending against an enemy of more inveterate 
character, and deeper design, who would demolish a 
fabric cemented by the blood of our fathers, and en- 
deared to us by all the happiness we enjoy. So far 
as my exertions can contribute, the purposes, both of 
the savage and his instigator, shall be defeated ; and, 
so far as yours can, I hope — I know, they will be em- 
ployed. I have said enough — I want men, and want 
them inmied lately." 

Knowing that the discontents could only be finally 
dispelled from the minds of his troops by active em- 
ployment, and anxious to prosecute the campaign as 
soon as possible, he wrote (Dec. 6th) to General 
Cocke, desiring him to unite with him immediately, at 
the Ten Islands, with fifteen hundred men. He assured 
him that the mounted men who had returned to the 
settlements for subsistence, and to recruit their horses, 
would arrive by the 12th of the month. He wished 



COLONEL MARTIN'S LETTER. 149 

to commence his operations directly, " knowing they 
would be prepared for it, and well knowing they would 
require it." 

In the meantime, the volunteers, through several 
of their officers, continued to press on the consideration 
of the general, the subject of their term of service, and 
claimed to be discharged on the 10th instant. From 
Colonel Martin, who commanded the second regiment, 
he received a letter, dated the 4th of December, 1813, 
in which was attempted to be detailed their whole 
ground of complaint. He began by stating that much 
as it pained him, he felt himself bound to disclose a 
very unpleasant truth; that on the 10th the service 
would be deprived of the regiment he commanded. 
He seemed to deplore with great sensibility the scene 
that would be exhibited on that day, should opposition 
be made to their departure ; and still more sensibly, 
the consequences that would result from a disorderly 
abandonment of the camp. He stated they had all 
thought themselves finally discharged on the 20th of 
April last, and never knew to the contrary until they 
saw the order of the 24th of September, requiring 
them to rendezvous at Fayetteville, on the 4th of Oc- 
tober; for the first time they had learned that they 
owed further services, their discharge to the contrary 
notwithstanding. " Thus situated, there was consider- 
able opposition to the order; on which the officers 
generally, as I am advised, and I know myself in par- 
ticular, gave it as an unequivocal opinion, that their 
term of service would terminate on the 10th of De- 
cember. 

" They therefore look to their general, who holds 



150 MUTINY. 

their confidence, for an honourable discharge on that 
day ; and that in every respect, he will see that justice 
be done them. They regret that their peculiar situa- 
tions and circumstances require them to leave their 
general at a time when their services are important 
to the common cause. It would be desirable," he 
continued, " that those men w ho have served with ho- 
nour, should be honourably discharged, and that they 
should return to their families and friends, without 
even the semblance of disgrace ; with their general 
they leave it to place them in that situation. They 
have received him as an affectionate father, whilst 
they have honoured, revered, and obeyed him ; but 
having devoted a considerable time to the service of 
their country, by which tiieir domestic concerns are 
greatly deranged, they wish to return, and attend to 
their own affairs." 

Although this communication announced the deter- 
mination of only a part of the volunteer brigade, he 
had already abundant evidence that the defection was 
but too general. The difficulties which the general 
had heretofore to encounter, from the discontents of 
his troops, might well induce him to regret the threat- 
ened reappearance in his camp of the spirit of insubor- 
dination. That he might, if possible, prevent it, he 
hastened to lay before them the error and impropriety 
of their views, and the consequence involved, should 
they persist in their purpose. 

" I know not," he observed, " w^hat scenes will be 
exhibited on the 10th instant, nor what consequences 
are to flow from them here or elsewhere ; but as I 
shall have the consciousness that they are not impu- 



LETTER TO THE ARMY. 151 

table to any misconduct of mine, I trust I shall have 
the firmness not to shrink from a discharge of my 
duty. 

" It will be well, however, for those who intend to 
become actors in those scenes, and who are about to 
hazard so much on the correctness of their opinions, 
to examine beforehand, with great caution and de- 
liberation, the grounds on which their pretensions 
rest. Are they founded on any false assurances of 
mine, or upon any deception that has been practised 
towards them? Was not the act of Congress, under 
which they are engaged, directed by my general 
order, to be read and expounded to them before 
they enrolled themselves? That order will testify, 
and so will the recollection of every general officer of 
my division. It is not pretended that those who now 
claim to be discharged, were not legally and fairly en- 
rolled, under the act of Congress, on the 6th of Febru- 
ary, 1812. Have they performed the service required 
of them by that act, and which they then solemnly 
undertook to perform ? That required one year's 
service out of two, to be computed from the day of 
rendezvous, unless they should be sooner discharged. 
Has one year's service been performed ? This cannot 
be seriously pretended. Have they then been dis- 
charged? It is said they have, and by me. To 
account for so extraordinary a belief, it may be ne- 
cessary to take a review of past circumstances. 

" More than twelve months have elapsed since we 
w^ere called upon to avenge the injured rights of our 
country. We obeyed the call ! In the midst of 
hardships, which none but those to whom liberty is 



152 LETTER TO THE ARMY. 

dear could have borne without a murmur, we de- 
scended the Mississippi. It was beheved our services 
were wanted in the prosecution of the just war in which 
our country was engaged, and we were prepared to 
render them. But, though we were disappointed in 
our expectations, we estabhshed for Tennessee a name 
which will long do her honour. At length, we re- 
ceived a letter from the secretary of war, directing 
our dismission. You will recollect the circumstances 
of wretchedness in which this order was calculated to 
place us. By it we were deprived of every article of 
public property ; no provision was made for the pay- 
ment of our troops, or their subsistence on their return 
march ; whilst many of our sick, unable to help them- 
selves, must have perished. Against the opinion of 
many, I marched them back to their homes before I 
dismissed them. Your regiment, at its own request, 
was dismissed at Columbia. This was accompanied 
by a certificate to each man, expressing the acts under 
which he had been enrolled, and the length of the tour 
he had performed. This it is which is now attempted 
to be construed *a final discharge;' but surely it 
cannot be forgotten by any officer or soldier, how 
sacredly they pledged themselves, before they were 
dismissed, or received their certificates, cheerfully to 
obey the voice of their country, if it should resummon 
them into service ; neither can it be forgotten, I dare 
hope, for what purpose that certificate was given ; it 
was to secure, if possible, to those brave men who had 
shown such readiness to serve their country, certain 
extra emoluments, specified in the seventh section of 
the act imder which they had engaged, in the event 



LETTER TO THE ARMY. 153 

they were not recalled into service for the residue of 
their term. 

" Is it true then that my solicitude for the interest 
of the volunteers, is to be made by them a pretext for 
disgracing a name which they had rendered illustrious ? 
Is a certificate designed solely for their benefit to 
become the rallying word for mutiny ? strange pursuit 
of feeling and of reasoning ! Have I really any power 
to discharge men whose term of service has not ex- 
pired ? If I were weak or wicked enough to attempt 
the exercise of such a power, does any one believe the 
soldier would be thereby exonerated from the obliga- 
tion he has voluntarily taken upon himself to his 
government ? I should become a traitor to the im- 
portant concern which has been entrusted to my 
management ; while the soldier, who had been de- 
ceived by a false hope of liberation, would be still 
liable to redeem his pledge ; I should disgrace myself 
without benefitting you. 

" I can only deplore the situation of those officers 
who have undertaken to persuade their men that their 
term of service will expire on the 10th. In giving 
their opinions to this eflfect, they have acted indis- 
creetly, and without sufficient authority. It would be 
the most pleasing fact of my life to restore them with 
honour to their families. Nothing would pain me 
more, than that any other sentiments should be felt 
towards them, than those of gratitude and esteem. 
On all occasions it has been my highest happiness to 
promote their interest, and even to gratify their 
wishes, where with propriety it could be done. When 
in the lower country, believing that, in the order for 
22 



154 LETTER TO THE ARMY. 

their dismissal, they had been improperly treated, I 
even solicited the government to discharge them 
finally from the obligations into which they had en- 
tered. You know the answer of the secretary of 
war; — that neither he, nor the president, as he be- 
lieved, had the power to discharge them. How then 
can it be required of me to do so ? 

" The moment it is signified to me by any compe- 
tent authority, even by the Governor of Tennessee, to 
whom I have written on the subject, or by General 
Pinckney, who is now appointed to the command, that 
the volunteers may be exonerated from further ser- 
vice, that moment I will pronounce it with the great- 
est satisfaction. I have only the power of pronounc- 
ing a discharge — not of giving it in any case, a dis- 
tinction which I would wish should be borne in mind. 
Already have I sent to raise volunteers on my own 
responsibility, to complete a campaign which has 
been so happily begun, and thus far, so fortunately 
prosecuted. The moment they arrive, and I am as- 
sured that, fired by our exploits, they will hasten in 
crowds on the first intimation that we need their ser- 
vices, they will be substituted in the place of those 
who are discontented here; the latter will then be 
permitted to return to their homes with all the honour 
which, under such circumstances they can carry along 
with them. But I still cherish a hope that their dis- 
satisfaction and complaints have been greatly exagge- 
rated. I cannot, must not believe that the 'Volunteers 
of Tennessee,' a name ever dear to fame, will dis- 
grace themselves and a country which they have hon- 
oured, by abandoning her standard as mutineers and 



ANOTHER MUTINY. 155 

deserters ; but should I be disappointed and compelled 
to resign this pleasing hope, one thing I will not re- 
sign — my duty. Mutiny and sedition, so long as I 
possess the power of quelling them, shall be put down ; 
and even when left destitute of this, I will still be 
found in the last extremity, endeavouring to discharge 
the duty I owe my country and myself." 

He also addressed the platoon officers in the same 
style ; but discontent was too deeply rooted, and by 
designing men had been too artfully fomented to be 
removed by argument or entreaty. At length, on the 
evening of the 9th of December, 1813, General Hall 
hastened to the tent of General Jackson, with the in- 
formation that his whole brigade was in a state of 
mutiny, and making preparations to depart forcibly. 

This was a measure which every consideration of 
policy, duty, and honour, required Jackson to oppose ; 
and to this purpose he instantly applied all the means 
he possessed. He immediately issued the following 
general order : 

" The commanding general being informed that an 
actual mutiny exists in his camp, all officers and 
soldiers are commanded to put it down. The officers 
and soldiers of the first brigade will, without delay, 
parade on the west side of the fort, and await further 
orders." The artillery company, with two small field- 
pieces, being posted in the front and rear, and the 
militia, under the command of Colonel Wynne, on the 
eminences, in advance, were ordered to prevent any 
forcible departure of the volunteers. 

The general then rode along the line, and addressed 
them by companies, in a strain of impassioned elo- 



156 JACKSON'S ADDRESS. 

quence. He feelingly expatiated on their former good 
conduct, and the esteem and applause it had secured 
them ; and pointed to the disgrace which they must 
heap upon themselves, their families, and country, by 
persisting, even if they could succeed, in their present 
mutiny. He told them, however, that they should not 
succeed, but by passing over his body ; that, even in 
opposing their mutinous spirit, he should perish 
honourably — by perishing at his post, and in the dis- 
charge of his duty. " Reinforcements," he continued, 
" are preparing to hasten to my assistance ; it cannot 
be long before they will arrive. I am, too, in daily 
expectation of receiving information whether you may 
be discharged or not — until then, you must not, and 
shall not retire. I have done with entreaty — it has 
been used long enough. I will attempt it no more. 
You must now determine whether you will go, or 
peaceably remain ; if you still persist in your deter- 
mination to move peaceably off, the point between us 
shall soon be decided." At first they hesitated : he 
demanded an explicit and positive answer. They still 
hesitated, and he commanded the artillerist to prepare 
his match ; he, himself, remaining in front of the 
volunteers, and within the line of fire, which he in- 
tended soon to order. Alarmed at his apparent deter- 
mination, and dreading the consequences involved in 
such a contest, " Let us return," was murmured along the 
line, and soon after this step was determined upon. The 
officers now came forward and pledged themselves for 
their men, who either nodded assent, or openly ex- 
pressed a willingness to retire to their quarters, and 
remain without further tumult, until information was 



DANGER TO THE FRONTIER. 



157 




Scalping. 



received or the expected aid should arrive. Thus 
passed away a moment of the greatest peril, pregnant 
with important consequences. 

This ever memorable scene took place on the 10th 
of December, 1813. One year from the first rendez- 
vous of the volunteers had certainly expired ; but there 
had not been a year's service ; for they had not been 
in service from the 1st of May to the 4th of October, 
1813 ; so that there remained five months of the 
.year's service to come. The general was right in his 
construction of the agreement ; but, besides this, to 
have forsaken the campaign in such a manner, would 
have been ruinous in the extreme ; the savage enemy 
not yet subdued, but exasperated to the last degree, 
would have assailed the unprotected frontiers, and 



158 VOLUNTEERS ORDERED TO NASHVILLE. 

have deluged them with the blood of the defenceless 
citizens ; burning, murdering, and scalping, would have 
been daily events on the border. 

Though the volunteers were thus prevented from 
putting their design into immediate execution, the 
general soon discovered that it was not wholly 
abandoned, and that nothing could be expected 
from their future services. He accordingly deter- 
mined to rid himself, as soon as possible, of men 
whose presence served only to keep the spirit of dis- 
content alive in the camp. An order was given to 
General Hall to march them to Nashville, and do with 
them as he should be directed by the Governor of 
Tennessee. Previous, however, to promulgating this 
order, he resolved to make another effort to retain 
them — to make a last appeal to their honour and 
patriotism. For this purpose, having assembled them 
before the fort on the 13th of December, the day after 
the arrival of General Cocke, he directed his aid-de- 
camp to read to them the following address : — 

" Volunteers of Tennessee ! On the 10th of De- 
cember, 1812, you assembled at the call of your coun- 
try. Your professions of patriotism and ability to 
endure fatigue, were at once tested by the inclemency 
of the weather. Breaking your way through sheets of 
ice, you descended the Mississippi, and reached the 
point at which you were ordered to be halted and 
dismissed. All this you bore without murmuring. 
Finding that your services were not needed, the means 
for marching you back were procured ; every difficulty 
was surmounted, and as soon as the point from which 
you embarked was regained, the order for your dismis- 



RECAPITULATION OF VICTORY. 159 

sal was carried into effect. The promptness with which 
you assembled, the regularity of your conduct, your 
attention to your duties, the determination manifested 
on every occasion to carry into effect the wishes and 
will of your government, placed you on an elevated 
ground. You not only distinguished yourselves, but 
gave to your state a distinguished rank with her sis- 
ters; and led your government to believe that the 
honour of the nation would never be tarnished when 
entrusted to the holy keeping of the ' Volunteers of 
Tennessee.' In the progress of a war, which the 
implacable and eternal enemy of our independence in- 
duced to be waged, we found that, without cause on 
our part, a portion of the Creek nation was added to 
the number of our foes. To put them down, the first 
glance of the administration fell on you, and you were 
again summoned to the field of honour. In full pos- 
session of your former feelings, that summons was 
cheerfully obeyed. Before your enemy thought you 
in motion, you were at Tallushatchee and Talladega. 
The thunder of your arms was a signal to them, that 
the slaughter of your countrymen was about to be 
avenged. You fought, you conquered ! barely enough 
of the foe escaped to recount to their savage associates 
your deeds of valour. You returned to this place, 
loaded with laurels and the applauses of your country. 
" Can it be that these brave men are about to be- 
come the tarnishers of their own reputation ! — the de- 
stroyers of a name which does them so much honour. 
Yes, it is a* truth too well disclosed, that cheerfulness 
has been changed for complaints : — murmurings and 
discontents alone prevail. Men who a little while 
23 



160 ADDRESS TO THE ARMY. 

since were offering up prayers for permission to chas- 
tise the merciless savage, who turned with impatience 
to teach them how much they had hitherto been in- 
debted to our forbearance, are now, when they could 
so easily attain their wishes, seeking to be discharged. 
The heart of your general has been pierced. The 
first object of his military affections, and the first glo- 
ry of his life were the volunteers of Tennessee ; the 
very name recalls to him a thousand endearing recol- 
lections. But these men, these volunteers, have be- 
come mutineers. The feelings he would have indulged, 
your general has been compelled to suppress — he has 
been compelled by a regard to that subordination so 
necessary to the support of every army, and which he 
is bound to have observed, to check the disorder 
which would have destroyed you. He has interposed 
his authority for your safety, — to prevent you from 
disgracing yourselves and your country. Tranquillity 
has been restored in our camp — contentment shall 
also be restored — this can be done only by permitting 
those to retire whose dissatisfaction proceeds from 
causes that cannot be controlled. This permission 
will never be given. Your country will dispense with 
your services, if you have no longer a regard for that 
fame, which you have so nobly earned for yourselves 
and her. Yes, soldiers you who were once so brave, 
and to whom honour was so dear, shall be permitted 
to return to your homes, if you desire it. But in what 
language, when you arrive, will you address your fa- 
milies and friends ? Will you tell them that you 
abandoned your general, and your late associates in 
arras, within fifty miles of a savage enemy, who equally 



ARRIVAL OF GENERAL COCKE. 161 

delights in shedding the blood of the innocent fe- 
male and her sleeping babe, as that of the warrior 
contending in battle ? Lamentable, disgraceful tale ! 
If your dispositions are really changed, if you fear an 
enemy you so lately conquered, this day will prove it. 
I now put it to yourselves ; — determine upon the part 
you will act, influenced only by the suggestion of your 
own hearts, and your own understandings. All who 
prefer an inglorious retirement shall be ordered to 
Nashville, to be discharged as the president or the 
governor may direct. Who choose to remain and 
unite with their general in the further prosecution of 
the campaign, can do so, and will thereby furnish a 
proof that they have been greatly traduced ; and that 
although disaffection and cowardice has reached the 
hearts of some, it has not reached theirs. To such 
my assurance is given, that former irregularities will 
not be attributed to them. They shall be immediately 
organized into a separate corps, under officers of their 
own choice ; and in a little while it is confidently be- 
lieved an opportunity will be afforded of adding to the 
laurels you have already won." 

This address failed to produce the desired effect. 
One only. Captain Williamson, agreed to remain. 
General Hall was accordingly instructed to march his 
brigade to Nashville, and await such instructions as 
he might receive from the president, or the Governor 
of Tennessee. 

General Cocke had arrived on the 12th with fifteen 
hundred men ; but it was found from his report that 
no part of his troops were brought into the field under 
the requisition of the President of the United States ; 



162 GENERAL COFFEE'S BRIGADE. 

and that the term of service of the greater part of 
them would expire in a few days ; and of the whole 
in a few weeks. In consequence of this he was ordered 
into his district, to comply with that requisition, and 
to carry with him and discharge near their homes, 
those of his troops, whose term of service was nearly 
ended. The reason of this was explained to the bri- 
gade in an address, in which they were entreated, when 
they should have obtained the necessaries which a 
winter's campaign would require, to return into the 
field, and aid in completing what had been so success- 
fully begun. 

Colonel Lilliard's regiment, consisting of about eight 
hundred men, whose term of service would not expire 
in less than four weeks, was retained to assist in de- 
fending Fort Strother, and keeping open the commu- 
nication with Deposit until the expected reinforcements 
should arrive. 

The brigade of mounted men under General Coffee, 
who had been allowed to return soon after the battle 
of Talladega, reassembled at Huntsville on the 8th of 
December. Only eight hundred presented themselves, 
of whom but six hundred could be prevailed upon to 
move towards the Indian country. The evil influence 
of the example set by the infantry was soon evident 
among the cavalry. They insisted upon their right 
to a discharge, having enlisted at the same time as 
the infantry. The riflemen, also, alleged that their 
stipulated term of service had expired, and manifested 
a decided indisposition to proceed. General Coffee 
was prevented by sickness from commanding his 
brigade in person ; but he ordered them to march im- 



GENERAL COFFEE'S BRIGADE. 163 

mediately to head-quarters. They proceeded as far 
as Ditto's Landing ; but the greater number refused to 
cross the river, and commenced a disorderly return. 
Those who continued to perform their duty, were 
halted at Deposit, to await the orders of General 
Jackson. Their conduct at that place was disorderly 
and mutinous; and General Coffee, despairing of 
effecting anything with such troops, informed General 
Jackson of their conduct and demands. He also for- 
warded to the general a petition which had been ad- 
dressed to him by the rifle regiment. The command- 
er-in-chief addressed a severe letter to the malcon- 
tents, receiving and answering their petition, and 
reminding them of their promise to return to the service. 
" The signers of that address," observes the gene- 
ral, " commence by saying, ' that jealousy is prevailing 
in our camp, with respect to the understanding between 
themselves and the government relative to the service 
required of them ; and believing it to be its policy to 
act fairly, are of opinion that a full explanation of their 
case will have a good effect in promoting the cause in 
which they are engaged.' 

" What can have given rise to this jealousy I am 
at a loss to conjecture ; for surely no unfair practices 
were ever used by their government to get them into 
the service, nor to keep them in it longer than they 
had engaged to remain. How long that was can be 
easily determined by the law under which they were 
accepted. This was open to all, and must be pre- 
sumed to have been understood by all. But for a 
complete answer, I send you, and refer you to the 
written pledges of both the field and platoon-officers, 



164 JACKSON'S LETTER. 

before they returned to recruit their horses, and obtain 
their winter clotliing. As they seem completely to have 
forgotten, I will remind them of all they contain — of 
their assurances given, that, if what they asked were 
granted, they would return at the shortest possible 
notice, prepared and willing to go through the winter 
service, or to the end of the campaign. Sensible of 
their necessities, and confiding fully in the promises 
they made, and signed with their own names, I per- 
mitted them, on the 22d ultimo, to return into the set- 
tlements for the purpose of procuring fresh horses, and 
additional clothing ; and required them, to which they 
readily agreed, to rendezvous in Madison on the 8th 
instant. They have returned ; and now, when every 
calculation is made upon their services, agreeably to 
the pledges that have been given, they send (instead 
of coming,) this address. Under these circumstances 
what ' explanation of their case' do they want ? 
What explanation do they expect their general to give 
them ? Barely to remind them of their written pledges, 
without attempting any exposition of the law under 
which they have engaged, is surely a sufficient answer. 
An exposition of it will not be attempted by me ; not 
only because it is considered unnecessary, but because 
my opinion on it has been already frequently given. 

" They, how ever, further remark, that ' they are 
returning like deserters, souring the minds of the 
people against the government and the officers, which 
will prevent others from entering into the service of 
their country, and paralyze the spirit of every citizen 
of Tennessee.' That they are returning home, not 
only ' like deserters,' but in the real characters of such, 



JACKSON'S REMARKS. 165 

is indeed a lamentable truth. That they are also en- 
deavouring to sour the minds of the people against the 
government and the officers, and that this attempt will 
most probably be successful, and prevent many from 
entering the service, is, I am fearful, too true. But in 
the name of God, to whom is this to be ascribed — to 
the government or to their general ? or rather is it 
not more justly chargeable to themselves, who, having 
entered the camp from patriotic motives, as they say, 
— having engaged with their government, and pledged 
themselves to their general, to prosecute the campaign 
and avenge the injured rights of their country, forget 
both that engagement, and that pledge, and all their 
boasted patriotism, at a moment when their services 
are the most confidently expected, and the most 
eminently needed. 

" I cannot conceive how the idea has arisen, that 
they are attempted to be detained without their con- 
sent. To say nothing of the length of service really 
required by the law under which they were accepted ; 
have not the field officers given their written consent 
to remain during the winter, or until the campaign be 
completed ? Have they not also given a pledge for 
their men, and their officers commanding companies 
and platoons ; and have not those company and platoon 
officers too, given a similar assurance for themselves 
and their men ? Let them look to these pledges and 
blush at their conduct. 

" They also remark, ' If any tender of services for 
a longer time than a tour of duty (three months), has 
been made to the general government, we beg leave 
to say, it was without our consent or knowledge; and 



166 JACKSON'S REMONSTRANCE. 

we are convinced that in all contracts that are binding, 
both parties must fully understand and consent thereto. 
We wish to be permitted to return home, and to re- 
turn under such circumstances as will entitle us to be 
praised instead of blamed, by those who so gallantly 
led us to battle.' 

"To this I give answer, that no tender for any 
specified term of service was ever made to the general 
government by me, or by any other within my know- 
ledge. As regards their laiu remark, that men, to be 
bound by a contract, must understand and consent to 
it, it will be a sufficient answer that those who volun- 
teer their services under a public law, are presumed 
to understand fully all its provisions ; or, at any rate, 
that those who sign an instrument drawn up by them- 
selves, cannot reasonably be supposed ignorant of its 
contents, or unwilling to abide by its terms. But they 
must be lukewarm patriots indeed, who in the mo- 
ment of danger and necessity can halt in the discharge 
of their duty, to argue and quibble on the construction 
of laws and statutes. 

" As to their wish ' to be praised instead of cen- 
sured,' I am at a loss to conceive how such a senti- 
ment should hold a place in the breasts of men who 
are about to abandon the cause of their country, at 
such a moment as this, and under such euixaorements. 
Even if it be possible for such men to desire praise, 
from their present conduct they cannot expect it. 
Before they can have determined to enter upon such 
a course, they must undoubtedly have prepared their 
minds to meet all the contumely and contempt that an 
indignant country can heap upon such wind-blown 



THE GOVERNOR'S LETTER. 167 

patriots ; who, when at home, clamoured so vociferous- 
ly about her injured rights, and having taken up arms 
to defend them, abandon them at a moment when they 
are most in danger. A grosser aliment than praise 
must be the proper nutriment for such minds. If it 
were possible that any doubt could exist under the law 
by which their services were engaged, has not the 
utmost certainty been produced, by their own written 
undertakings subsequently made ? But on the ques- 
tion, whether their country, at this time, needs their 
services in the field, there can be no doubt. And is 
patriotism to be measured by months, and weeks, and 
days ? Is it by such a computation that the volunteer 
embarked in his country's defence hopes to entitle 
himself to the thanks of that country, when her rights 
are assailed, and his efforts can protect them ? Be it 
so ; let it be even orranted that these men's engaofe- 
ments have expired under the law; — has their sacred 
pledge in writing, and has their love of country ex- 
pired ? If these cannot bind them to a faithful per- 
formance of their duty, I know of nothing by which I 
can hope to hold them." 

He also forwarded to them a letter which he had 
just received from the Governor of Tennessee. This 
letter recommended what had already been done ; to 
dismiss — not discharge, the volunteers, because the 
latter was not in the power of either of them : — nor 
was their dismission to be given because founded in 
right ; but because under existing circumstances their 
presence would not prove beneficial, but highly inju- 
rious. This letter was sent to the volunteers of Cof- 
fee's brigade, accompanied with these remarks : — 
24 



168 DEPARTURE OF ALLCORN'S REGIMENT. 




Allcorn abandoning the Campaign. 



" I have just received a letter from Governor Blount 
which I hasten to transmit to you, that you may avail 
yourselves of whatever benefits and privileges it holds 
out. You will perceive that he does not consider he has 
any power to discharge you, — neither have I : — but 
you have my permission to retire from the service if 
you are still desirous of doing so, and are prepared 
to risk the consequences." 

No sooner were these letters read to the soldiers 
than they abandoned the campaign, and with their 
colonel, Allcorn, at their head, notwithstanding their 
pledged honour, the advice of their general, the en- 
treaties of General Coffee, and an eloquent speech of 



ADVICE OF GOVERNOR BLOUNT. 169 

the Reverend Mr. Blackburn, commenced their march 
to the settlements. 

The brigade of mihtia under General Roberts, who 
had remained at Fort Strother, insisting that they 
had only enlisted for three months, desired to be dis- 
charged on the 4th of January. Jackson, however, 
demurred at this construction of the case: as they 
had been mustered into the United States service 
under the act for raising a militia force to serve for 
six months, unless sooner discharged by the president. 
He therefore refused to permit them to depart. The 
regiment of Colonel Lilliard, belonging to General 
Cocke's division, w^ould be entitled to a discharge on 
the 14th ; when the force at Fort Strother would be 
almost dissolved. General Cocke had been previously 
ordered by the governor to raise twenty-five hundred 
men to reinforce the army : but that order not having 
been fulfilled. General Jackson urged the governor to 
take more efficient measures for increasing the strength 
of the army. Governor Blount, discouraged by the 
disaffection of the men, and the ill-success of General 
Cocke, recommended that the campaign should be 
abandoned until the general government should give 
substantial aid. Jackson replied by deprecating such 
a course as calculated to injure the reputation and 
endanger the safety of Tennessee, and to defeat the 
plans of General Pinckney, to whom the United States 
government had committed the management of the 
Creek war ; he continues : — 

" Had your wish that I should discharge a part of my 
force and retire with the residue into the settlements 
assumed the form of a positive order, it might have 



170 ANSWER TO THE GOVERNOR. 

furnished me some apology for pursuing such a course ; 
but by no means a full justification. As you would 
have no power to give such an order, I could not be 
inculpable in obeying, with my eyes open to the fatal 
consequences that would attend it. But a bare re- 
commendation, founded, as I am satisfied it must be, 
on the artful suggestions of those fireside patriots who 
seek, in a failure of the expeditions, an excuse for their 
own supineness ; and upon the misrepresentations of the 
discontented from the army, who wish it to be believed 
that the difficulties which overcame their patriotism 
are wholly insurmountable, would afford me but a 
feeble shield against the reproaches of my country, 
or my conscience. Believe me, my respected friend, 
the remarks I make proceed from the purest personal 
regard. If you would preserve your reputation, or that 
of the state over which you preside, you nmst take a 
straight-forward, determined course ; regardless of the 
applause or censure of the populace, and of the fore- 
bodings of that dastardly and designing crew, who, at 
a time like this, may be expected to clamour continu- 
ally in your ears. The very wretches who now beset 
you with evil counsel, will be the first, should the 
measures which they recommend eventuate in disas- 
ter, to call down imprecations on your head, and load 
you with reproaches. Your country is in danger : — 
apply its resources to its defence ! Can any course 
be more plain ? Do you, my friend, at such a moment 
as the present, sit with your arms folded, and your 
heart at ease, waiting a solution of your doubts, and 
a definition of your powers ? Do you wait for special 
instructions from the secretary of war, which it is im- 



ANSWER TO THE GOVERNOR. 171 

possible for you to receive in time for the danger that 
threatens ? How did the venerable Shelby act under 
similar circumstances ; or rather, under circumstances 
by no means so critical ? Did he wait for orders to 
do what every man of sense knew — what every patriot 
felt — to be right ? He did not ; and yet how highly 
and justly did the government extol his manly and en- 
ergetic conduct ! and how dear has his name become 
to all the friends of their country ! 

"You say that, having given an order to General 
Cocke to bring his quota of men into the field, your 
power ceases ; and that, although you are made sen- 
sible that he has wholly neglected that order, you can 
take no measure to remedy the omission. Widely 
different, indeed, is my opinion. I consider it your 
imperious duty, when the men called for by your 
order, founded upon that of the government, are known 
not to be in the field, to see that they be brought 
there ; and to take immediate measures with the 
officer, who, charged with the execution of your 
order, omits or neglects to do it. As the executive 
of the state, it is your duty to see that the full quota 
of troops be constantly kept in the field for the time 
they have been required. You are responsible to the 
government ; your officer to you. Of what avail is 
it to give an order if it be never executed, and may 
be disobeyed with impunity ? Is it by empty orders 
that we can hope to conquer our enemies, and save 
our defenceless frontiers from butchery and devasta- 
tion ? Believe me, my valued friend, there are times 
when it is highly criminal to shrink from responsibility, 
or scruple about the exercise of our powers. There 



172 ANSWER TO THE GOVERNOR. 

are times when we must disregard punctilious eti- 
quette, and think only of serving our country. What 
is really our present situation ? The enemy we have 
been sent to subdue, may be said, if we stop at this, 
to be only exasperated. The commander-in-chief. 
General Pinckney, who supposes me by this time 
prepared for renewed operations, has ordered me 
to advance, and form a junction with the Georgia 
army ; and, upon the expectation that I will do so, are 
all his arrangements formed for the prosecution of the 
campaign. Will it do to defeat his plans, and jeo- 
pardize the safety of the Georgia army ? The general 
government, too, believe, and have a right to believe, 
that we have now not less than five thousand men in 
the heart of the enemy's country ; and on this opinion 
are all their calculations bottomed ; and must they 
all be frustrated, and I become the instrument by 
which it is done ? God forbid ! 

" You advise me too, to discharge or dismiss from 
service, until the will of the president can be known, 
such a portion of the militia as have rendered three 
months' service. This advice astonishes me even 
more than the former. I have no such discretionary 
power ; and it would be impolitic and ruinous to use 
it, if I had. I believed the militia who were not spe- 
cially received for a shorter period, were engaged for 
six months, unless the objects of the expedition should 
be sooner attained ; and in this opinion I was greatly 
strengthened by your letter of the 15th, in which you 
say, when answering my inquiry upon this subject, 
'the militia are detached for six months' service;' 
nor did I know or suppose you had a different opin- 



ANSWER TO THE GOVERNOR. 173 

ion until the arrival of your last letter. This opinion 
must, I suppose, agreeably to your request, be made 
known to General Roberts's brigade, and then the con- 
sequences are not difficult to be foreseen. Every man 
belono;ino; to it will abandon me on the 4th of next 
month ; nor shall I have the means of preventing it 
but by the application of force, which under such cir- 
cumstances I shall not be at liberty to use. I have 
laboured hard to reconcile these men to a continuance 
in service until they could be honourably discharged, 
and had hoped I had in a great measure succeeded ; 
but your opinion, operating with their own prejudices, 
will give a sanction to their conduct, and render use- 
less any further attempts. They will go, but I can 
neither discharge nor dismiss them. Shall I be told, 
that, as they will go, it may as well be peaceably per- 
mitted ? Can that be any good reason why I should 
do an unauthorized act ? Is it a good reason why I 
should violate the order of my superior officer, and 
evince a willingness to defeat the purposes of my go- 
vernment ? And wherein does the ' sound policy' of 
the measures that have been recommended consist ? 
or in what way are they ' likely to promote the public 
good V Is it sound policy to abandon a conquest 
thus far made, and deliver up to havoc, or add to the 
number of our enemies those friendly Creeks and Che- 
rokees, who, relying on our protection, have espoused 
our cause, and aided us with their arms ? Is it good 
policy to turn loose upon our defenceless frontiers five 
thousand exasperated savages, to imbrue their hands 
once more in the blood of our citizens ? What ! retro- 
gade under such circumstances ! I will perish first. No, 



174 EFFECT OF JACKSON'S LETTER. 

I will do my duty. I will hold the posts I have estab- 
lished until ordered to abandon them by the com- 
manding general, or die in the struggle ; — long since 
have I determined not to seek the preservation of life 
at the sacrifice of reputation. 

" But our frontiers, it seems, are to be defended — 
and by whom ? By the very force that is now recom- 
mended to be dismissed ; for I am first told to retire 
into the settlements, and to protect the frontiers ; next, 
to discharge my troops ; and then, that no measures 
can be taken for raising others. No, my friend, if 
troops be given me, it is not by loitering on the fron- 
tiers that I will seek to give protection ; they are to 
be defended, if defended at all, in a very different 
manner ; — by carrying the war into the heart of the 
enemy's country. All other hopes of defence are 
more visionary than dreams. What then is to be 
done ? I '11 tell you what. You have only to act with 
the energy and decision the crisis demands, and all 
will be well. Send me a force engaged for six months, 
and I will answer for the result, — but withhold it, and 
all is lost, — the reputation of the state, and yours and 
mine along w ith it." 

This remonstrance of Jackson changed the in- 
tentions of Governor Blount, who directed two thousand 
five hundred militia from the second brigade, under 
General Johnston, to join the army without delay. 
General Cocke was also instructed to hasten the exe- 
cution of his orders, and to march his men to head- 
quarters as soon as possible. 

Meanwhile, many of the militia of General Roberts 
had deserted, and returned to Tennessee. This officer 



GENERAL ROBERTS CASHIERED, 175 

was, therefore, ordered to repair to that state, and en- 
deavour to obtain a sufficient number of new levies to 
supply their places. He was also instructed to use 
every exertion to complete the number of his brigade. 
He succeeded in raising nearly two hundred men, with 
whom he arrived near the camp on the 27th of De- 
cember. He went alone to General Jackson, to ascer- 
tam whether they would be permitted to return home 
after three months' service ; that being the time for 
which they had engaged. Jackson informed him 
that his stipulations would be strictly complied with ; 
but when Roberts returned to his men, he found that 
they had been seized with distrust, in consequence of 
his conduct, and had resolved to set out for home. 
He went to the camp, when General Jackson ordered 
him to parade his reinforcement. He then acknow- 
ledged what had happened, and offered to follow them, 
and bring them back. He overtook them twenty 
miles from Fort Strother ; but they persisted in their 
resolution to return. General Jackson ordered him 
to cause them to be arrested, and brought to the camp, 
or put into confinement. Many of them returned, and 
disclosed the fact, that their conduct was owinsr to the 
advice of Roberts, who was cashiered by order of a 
court-martial. 

Apprehensive that the brigade of militia would at- 
tempt to leave the camp on the 4th of January, the 
general issued an order forbidding all persons to pass 
the sentries without written permission, under the pe- 
nalties of desertion. Notwithstanding this order, on 
the morning of the 4th, the sentinels were discovered 
to be absent from their posts. .Jackson ordered 
25 



176 



ARREST OF KEARLEY. 




Arrebt of Lieutenant Kearley. 



Lieutenant Kearley, who commanded the guard, to 
be arrested ; but he refused to submit to the order. 
The guards, and Captain Gordon's company of spies, 
were ordered to arrest him at all hazards. His men 
manifested a disposition to defend him, when General 
Jackson ordered Kearley to deliver his sword to him. 
He refused ; on which the general levelled a pistol at 
him, and would have killed him upon the spot, when 
the friends of the lieutenant persuaded him to yield. 
Meanwhile, the militia, with the exception of part of 
one company, left the fort, and proceeded homeward. 



ADDRESS TO LILLIARD'S REGIMENT. 177 

Lieutenant Kearley, having expressed himself sincerely 
penitent, was pardoned by his general, and restored 
to his rank. 

The force at Fort Strother was now reduced to 
the regiment of Colonel Lilliard, whose term of service 
expired on the 14th of January; two companies of 
spies under Captain Gordon and Russell; and the ar- 
tillery company. The reinforcements which were 
preparing in Tennessee had not yet reached him ; and 
there being little prospect of their arrival for some 
weeks, the general determined to make an attempt 
to persuade the regiment of Lilliard to remain twenty 
days longer, with the view of striking a blow at the 
enemy, who were assembling in considerable force 
below. 

He therefore caused the following address to be 
read to that regiment. 

" Major-General Cocke having reported that your 
term of service will expire on the 14th, I assume no 
claim on you beyond that period. But, although I 
cannot demand as a right the continuance of your 
services, I do not despair of being able to obtain them 
through your patriotism. For what purpose was it 
that you quitted your homes, and penetrated the heart 
of the enemy's country ? Was it to avenge the blood 
of your fellow-citizens, inhumanly slain by that enemy 
— to give security in future to our extended and un- 
protected frontier, and to signahze the valour by which 
you were animated? Will any of these objects be 
attained if you abandon the campaign at the time you 
contemplate? Not one! Yet an opportunity shall 
be aftbrded you, if you desire it. If you have been 



178 ADDRESS TO LILLIARD'S REGIMENT. 

really actuated by the feelings, and governed by the 
motives, which your commanding general supposes 
influenced you to take up arms and enter the field in 
defence of your rights, none of you will resist the ap- 
peal he now makes, or hesitate to embrace with eager- 
ness the opportunity he is about to afford you. 

" The enemy, more than half conquered, but deri- 
ving encouragement and hope from the tardiness of 
our operations, and the distractions which have un- 
happily prevailed in our camp, are again assembling 
below us. Another lesson of admonition must be 
furnished them. They must again be made to feel 
the weight of that power which they have without 
cause provoked to war ; and to know that although 
we have been slow to take up arms, we will never 
again lay them from our hands, until we have secured 
the objects that impelled us to the resort. In less 
than eight days I shall leave this encampment, to meet 
and fight them. Will any of you accompany me? 
Are there any amongst you who at a moment like 
this will not think it an outrage upon honour for her 
feelings to be tested by a computation of time ? What 
if the period for which you tendered your services to 
your country has expired, — is that a consideration 
with the valiant, the patriotic, and the brave, who 
have appeared to redress the injured rights of that 
country, and to acquire for themselves a name of 
glory ? Is it a consideration with them, when those 
objects are still unattained, and an opportunity of ac- 
quiring them is so near at hand ? Did such men enter 
the field like hirelings — to serve for pay alone ? Does 
all regard for their country, their families, and them- 



ADDRESS TO LILLIARD'S REGIMENT. 179 

selves, expire with the time for which their services 
were engaged? Will it be a sufficient gratification 
to their feelings, that they served out three months 
without seeing the enemy, and then abandoned the 
campaign when the enemy was in the neighbourhood, 
and could be seen and conquered in ten days ? Any 
retrospect they can make of the sacrifices they have 
encountered, and the privations they have endured, 
can afford but little satisfaction under such circum- 
stances ; — the very mention of the Creek war must 
cover them with the blushes of shame and self-abase- 
ment. Having engaged for only three months, and 
that period having expired, are you bound by no- 
thing else ? Surely, as honourable and high-minded 
men, you must at such a moment as the present feel 
other obligations than the law imposes. A fear of 
the punishment of the law did not bring you into 
camp ; — that its demands are satisfied will not take 
you from it. You had higher objects in view — some 
greater good to attain. This your general believes : 
nor can he believe otherwise, without doing you 
great injustice. 

"Your services are not asked for longer than 
twenty days ; and who will hesitate making such a 
sacrifice, when the good of his country, and his own 
fame, are at stake ? Who, under the present aspect 
of affairs, will even reckon it a sacrifice ? When we 
set out to meet the enemy, this post must be retained 
and defended : if any of you will remain and render 
this service, it will be no less important than if you 
had marched to the battle ; nor will your general less 
thankfully acknowledge it. Tuesday next, the line of 



180 GEORGIA MILITIA. 

march will be taken up : and in a few days thereafter 
tlie objects of the excursion will be effected. As pa- 
triotic men, then, I ask you for your services ; and 
thus long I have no doubt you will cheerfully render 
them. I am well aware that you are all anxious to 
return to your families and homes, and that you are 
entitled to do so; yet stay a little longer — go with 
me and meet the enemy, and you can then return not 
only with the consciousness of having performed your 
duty, but with the glorious exultation of having done 
even more than duty required." 

In answer to this address. Colonel Lilliard replied, 
that having been called upon by the several captains 
in his return to make a statement of those in their 
respective companies who were willing to remain be- 
yond the period of their engagement, it appeared that 
none would consent to do so except Captain Hamilton 
and three of his men. General Jackson therefore or- 
dered Colonel Lilliard to march on the 10th to Fort 
Armstrong, and thence to Knoxville, when the troops 
would be discharged by General Cocke. 

While General Jackson was thus embarrassed and 
prevented from accomplishing any important service, 
by the desertion of his troops, the enemy had suffered 
severe losses from the gallantry of the militia of Geor- 
gia. Governor Early of that state, on the 8th of No- 
vember, called the attention of the legislature to the 
necessity of making provision for defence against the 
Creeks. Pursuant to his recommendation, a considera- 
ble force of militia was called out, and placed under 
the command of Brigadier-General Floyd. On the 
29th of the same month, General Floyd marched 



BATTLE OF AUTOUSSEE. 



181 



. --V 




Burning of Indian villages. 



against the Indian town of Autoussee, situated on the 
Tallapoosa river, eighteen miles from the Hickory 
Ground. At this place were assembled the warriors 
of eight towns, composing a very formidable force. 
The army of General Floyd consisted of nine hun- 
dred and fifty militia, and about three hundred friendly 
Indians. The attack was made early on the morning 
of the 29th, and was succeeded by a fierce contest of 
three hours' duration. The enemy were entirely de- 
feated, and forced to abandon their town, leaving two 
hundred warriors dead upon the field. Four hundred 
houses were burnt to the ground, and the whole was 
accomplished with a loss of only eleven men. On the 



182 



ECCANACHACA BURNT. 



first of January, 1814, General Jackson received infor- 
mation of another brilliant victory, gained by General 
Claiborne. On the 23d of December, that officer at- 
tacked Eccanachaca, or the Holy Ground, an Indian 
military depot, situated on the Alabama river. The 
prophets, Weatherford, Francis, and Sinquister, resi- 
ded at this town. The enemy were driven from their 
post, losing about forty warriors, and the town was 
reduced to ashes. Another village, eight miles distant, 
was destroyed on the following day. 

These victories struck terror into the ranks of the 
enemy, and by inspiring the militia with confidence in 
themselves, materially contributed to the subsequent 
victories. 





CHAPTER IX. 

EMUCKFAW. 

jOLONEL CARROLL, who 

had been deputed by Gene- 
ral Cocke to raise the re- 
inforcements, having been 
unable, by using every ex- 
ertion, to obtain volunteers 
for six months, was obliged 
jj^ to complete his number 
with mounted men, engaged to serve for sixty 
days. General Jackson was unwilling to set the dan- 
gerous precedent of engaging troops for so short a 
26 




184 EMUCKFAW. 

period ; but the urgency of the case admitted of no 
delay, and he was obhged to acquiesce in the arrange- 
ment. General Pinckney had requested him to act 
in concert with the forces from Georgia ; and it was 
to this end that he manifested so much anxiety to re- 
tain Lilliard's regiment. The def)arture of that corps 
defeated his plans ; but he still hoped to accomplish 
something with his new troops, in aid of General Clai- 
borne, who was encamped- on the Alabama river, 
eighty-five miles above Fort Stoddart. The newly 
raised volunteers assembled at Huntsville, where they 
remained, waiting until supplies should be received at 
head-quarters sufficient for their support. Could they 
have proceeded directly on, they would have reached 
the general early enough to enable him to proceed 
against the enemy, before the period at which Lilliard's 
reo:iment would have been entitled to a discharge. 
General Jackson strained every nerve in order to ac- 
complish this end, urging Colonel Carroll to make ac- 
tive exertions to send forward all the provisions in the 
hands of the contractors, and to hasten the arrange- 
ments for procuring larger supplies. So important did 
he consider this junction, that he was willing to sub- 
ject himself to considerable hazard, rather than not 
effect it. To Colonel Carroll he wrote, on learning 
that he was on his way with his newly raised troops : 
" I am happy to hear of your success in procuring 
volunteers. I shall receive with open arms those 
who, in this hour of need, so gallantly come forth to 
uphold the sinking reputation of their state. I am 
more anxious than ever to recommence operations, 
and indeed they have become more necessary than 



LETTER TO COLONEL CARROLL. 185 

ever ; yet I cannot move without supplies. As this 
will meet you near where the contractors are, you will 
be better able to ascertain than I can inform you, 
when that happy moment will arrive ; and, I pray you, 
use your best exertions to have it brought about with 
the least possible delay. Until supphes, and the means 
of transportation can be furnished to justify another 
movement from this place, it will be better that you 
remain where your horses can be fed. I say this, upon 
the supposition that this will be shortly done; but 
were it certain that the same causes of delay which 
have so long retarded our operations were still to con- 
tinue, I would, at every risk, and under every respon- 
sibihty, take up the march, as soon as the troops 
now with you could arrive. For such a measure I 
should seek my justification in the imperiousness of 
the circumstances by which I am surrounded; and 
rely for success upon heaven, and the enterprise of my 
followers. 

" Partial supplies have arrived for my use at Fort 
Armstrong, which will be ordered on to-morrow. This, 
with the scanty stock on hand, will at least keep us 
from starving a few^ weeks, until we can quarter upon 
the enemy, or gain assistance from the country below. 
General Claiborne, who is encamped eighty-five miles 
above Fort Stoddart, writes me, that arrangements are 
made to send supplies up the Alabama to the junction of 
the Coosa and Tallapoosa. Upon such resources will I 
depend, sooner than wait until my army wastes away, 
or becomes through inaction unfit for service." 

All his exertions, however, were insufficient to ac- 
complish the desired end ; and he was obliged to dis- 



186 EMUCKFAW. 

miss Lilliard's regiment, and await the arrival of sup- 
plies. On the 2d of January, 1814, Colonel Carroll 
arrived at head-quarters, and reported his proceedings 
to the general. The number of the new volunteers 
being only eight hundred and fifty. Colonel Carroll was 
directed to have them formed into two regiments, 
under officers of their own choice ; and an order was 
put into his hands for General Coffee, who was then 
at Huntsville, requiring him to march them to Fort 
Strother on the 10th instant. That officer, learning 
that those troops were unwilling that he should have 
the command of them, expressed a wish to General 
Jackson that it might not be assigned him ; in conse- 
quence of which, and their own request, the commander- 
in-chief had determined that after the arrival in camp 
there should be no intermediate commander over them 
between their colonels and himself. The volunteers 
were made acquainted with this arrangement. 

When General CoflTee received the instructions 
which General Jackson had sent him, he immediately 
ordered Colonels Perkins and Higgins, who had been 
chosen to the command of the two regiments, to march 
them directly for head-quarters. They, however, re- 
fused to obey the orders of General Coffee, to march 
on the 10th of January; and did not arrive in camp 
until the 13th. They alleged, in their own justifica- 
tion, that Coffee was not their rightful commander, and 
they were not bound to obey his orders. He conse- 
quently charged them with disobedience, and demanded 
their arrest. This must have been granted had they 
not yielded to the advice of more prudent friends, and 
apologized for their unsoldierlike and insulting conduct. 



MARCH TO ENOTICHOPCO. 187 

Having received this reinforcement, General Jackson 
resolved to march immediately against the Indians. 
He had received advices on the 5th from Captain 
M'Alpin, commanding temporarily at Fort Armstrong, 
that his post was menaced with an attack by the war- 
riors of fourteen or fifteen Creek towns. He had also 
been informed by General Pinckney that General 
Floyd was about to march to the Tallapoosa, and re- 
commended to make a movement against such of the 
hostile towns as were near his camp. Accordingly, 
on the 15th, the mounted men were advanced three 
miles from Fort Strother ; and, on the next day, being 
joined by the remainder of the army, they marched 
for Talladega, where they arrived on the 18th. Here 
they were reinforced by about two hundred Cherokees 
and friendly Creeks. 

The whole force of General Jackson now consisted 
of eleven hundred and thirty men, including officers. 
At Talladega he received another letter from the com- 
mandant at Fort Armstrong, assuring him that there 
was no doubt that that post would shortly be attacked 
by a force of nine hundred men, who were assembled 
near the mouth of Emuckfaw creek, in a bend of the 
Tallapoosa river. He also received information from 
General Pinckney that General Floyd would march 
the next day from Coweta w, and establish a post at 
Tuckabatchee in ten days. He immediately set out, 
and arrived at Enotichopco, a small Hillabee village, 
on the 20th. This village was twelve miles from 
Emuckfaw. The spies being unacquainted with the 
country, General Jackson was compelled to move with 



188 EMUCKFAW. 

great caution ; which the want of disciphne and sub- 
ordination among his troops rendered very difficult. 

On the next morning he marched from Enotichopco, 
and took tlie most direct route to the enemy's camp. 
Two Indians were seen about two o'clock, but suc- 
ceeded in making their escape. In the evening several 
large trails were discovered, all tending to one point. 
Convinced that he was close to the encampment of 
the enemy, Jackson encamped his little army in a 
hollow square, on an eligible site, upon the eminences 
of Emuckfaw, sent out his spies, posted his pickets, 
doubled his sentinels, and made every arrangement to 
guard against a night attack. Three Indians were 
seen and fired on about ten o'clock, and one of them 
killed. About midnight the spies came in and re- 
ported that they had discovered a large encampment 
of Indians about three miles distant, and that they 
were apprised of the approach of the army. 

On the morning of the 22d, before daylight, the 
alarm guns of the sentinels, succeeded by shrieks and 
savage yells, gave notice of the attack of the savages. 
The camp fires had been kept up all night, and the 
Indians supposed that they would have little to do but 
to pick off the general and his men by the light of 
their own fires. " To their utter astonishment, how- 
ever. General Jackson used darkness as a mantle to 
cover his men from their view, while his camp fires 
being built just far enough beyond the hollow square 
to compel the Indians as soon as they arrived within 
good rifle range, to come within the circle of light, 
where blinking they could see nothing, while the lurid 
glare of light encircling the camp, exposed their bodies 



BATTLE OF EMUCKFAW. 



189 




Spiesi reporting. 



like so many red targets, to the American rifle from 
the dark square within, where stood the hero and his 
httle band with the imponderable elements of light 
and darkness pressed into his service to make him 
equal to the enemy." * The flash of the rifle disco- 
vered the position of the marksman, and the savages 
extinguishing the fires, commenced a furious assault 
on the left flank, commanded by Colonel Higgins, 
which was met and opposed with great firmness. 
General Coflfee, and Colonels Carroll and Sitter, in- 
stantly repaired to the point of attack, and by exhor- 
tation and the performance of deeds of heroic daring, 
encouraged the men to a performance of their duty. 
The battle raged for half an hour ; the brunt of which 
being against the left wing, it became considerably 



* Cartwright's Eulogy. 



190 EMUCKFAW. 

weakened. It being now sufficiently light to ascertain 
correctly the position of the enemy, Captain Ferril's 
company was ordered to reinforce the left wing ; with 
the whole of which General Coffee charged and drove 
the enemy in confusion from the field. The Indians 
fled about two miles, and many of them were slain. 
The Americans had five killed and twenty wounded. 

Having returned from the pursuit, General Coffee 
was detached with the friendly Indians and four hun- 
dred men, with orders to destroy the enemy's encamp- 
ment, unless he should find it too strongly fortified. 
Having ascertained that the position was strong, and 
not to be taken without artillery, Coffee returned to 
the camp. He had scarcely done so, when a severe 
fire was opened on the pickets, posted on the right, 
accompanied by the horrible war-whoop. General 
Coffee requested permission to turn the enemy's left 
flank ; which was granted, and two hundred men or- 
dered to follow him. This detachment being taken 
from different corps, he placed himself at their head, 
and moved briskly forward. Taking advantage of 
their leader's position in front, those in the rear began 
to drop off" one by one, without his knowledge, until 
there were only fifty-four men left with him. With 
this little band he proceeded to execute his design, and 
vigorously attacked a superior number of the enemy. 
He found them occupying a ridge of open pine timber 
covered with low underwood, which afforded them 
many opportunities for concealment. To deprive 
them of this advantage, which they are very dexterous 
in taking. Coffee ordered his men to dismount and 
charge them. This order was promptly obeyed; and 



CARROLL'S DECISIVE CHARGE. 191 

the enemy, driven back by the charge, took refuge on 
the margin of a creek covered with reeds, where they 
lay concealed. In this gallant charge General Coffee 
was wounded through the body, and his aid. Major 
Donelson, killed by a ball through the head ; three of 
his men also fell. 

The Indians having intended the attack on the 
right as a feint, now with their main force, which had 
hitherto been concealed, made a violent onset on Jack- 
son's left, which they expected to find weakened and 
in disorder. Jackson, however, who had apprehended 
their design, was prepared to meet them. The left wing 
had been ordered to remain firm in its position ; and 
when the first gun was heard in that quarter, he 
repaired thither in person, and strengthened it by or- 
dering up additional forces from the right. The first 
advance of the enemy, though sudden and violent, was 
sustained with firmness, and opposed with great gal- 
lantry. The assailants now maintained the battle by 
quick and irregular firing from behind logs, trees, 
shrubbery, and whatever could afford concealment; 
behind these they would fire, then throw themselves 
on the ground and reload, when they would again 
rise and discharge their guns. After sustaining their 
fire in this way for some time, a charge to dislodge 
them from their position was ordered ; and the whole 
line, led by Colonel Carroll, by a most brilliant and 
steady movement, broke in upon them, threw them into 
confusion, and drove them from the ground. 

In the meantime. General Coffee was making every 
exertion to drive the savages on the right from the 
fastnesses into which they had retreated -, but, finding 



192 ENOTICHOPCO. 

that this could not be done without great hazard and 
considerable loss, he determined to try the effect of a 
stratagem, and began to retire towards the place where 
he had first dismounted. This expedient produced the 
desired eflfect. The enemy, presuming it to be a re- 
treat, and to have been adopted in consequence of the 
severe firing they had heard on the left wing, now for- 
sook their hiding-places and pursued rapidly. Coffee 
immediately availed himself of the opportunity thus 
afforded of contending with them again in open fight ; 
and a severe conflict commenced, and was obstinately 
maintained about an hour, during which time the loss on 
both sides was nearly equal. At this critical juncture, 
when several of the detachment had been killed, many 
wounded, and the remainder of the little Spartan band 
exhausted by fatigue; the dispersion of the enemy being 
eflfected on the left, a reinforcement was despatched by 
General Jackson, which, making its appearance on the 
enemy's left flank, put an end to the contest. General 
Coflfee, though severely wounded, instantly ordered a 
charge ; when the enemy, foreseeing their doom, fled 
in consternation, and were pursued with dreadful 
slaughter. Forty-five warriors were slain. Thus 
drew to a close a day of almost continual fighting. 

Havinor brought in and buried the dead, and 
dressed the wounded, preparations were made to guard 
against an attack by night. The next day. General 
Jackson, having effected, as he believed, the main ob- 
jects of the expedition, a diversion in favour of General 
Floyd, who was supposed to be carrying on his ope- 
rations lower down on the Tallapoosa, and the relief 
of Fort Armstrong, prepared to return to Fort Strother. 



LETTER TO GENERAL PINCKNEY. 193 

General Jackson, in his letter to Major-General 
Pinckney, said that " many causes concurred to make 
such a measure necessary, as I had not set out pre- 
pared, or with a view to make a permanent estabhsh- 
ment. I considered it worse than useless to advance 
and destroy an empty encampment. I had, indeed, 
hoped to have met the enemy there ; but having met 
and beaten them a little sooner, I did not think it ne- 
cessary or prudent to proceed any farther — not neces- 
sary, because I had accomplished all I could expect to 
effect by marching to their encampment ; and because, 
if it was proper to contend with and weaken their 
forces still farther, this object would be more certainly 
attained, by commencing a return, which, having to 
them the appearance of a retreat, would inspirit them 
to pursue me. Not prudent — because of the number of 
my wounded ; of the reinforcements from below, which 
the enemy might be expected to receive ; of the starving 
condition of my horses, they having had neither corn 
nor cane for two days and nights ; of the scarcity of 
supplies for my men, the Indians who joined me at Tal- 
ladega having drawn none, and being wholly destitute ; 
and because, if the enemy pursued me, as it was likely 
they would, the diversion in favour of General Floyd 
would be more complete than effectual." Determined 
by these considerations, Jackson ordered litters to be 
formed for the transportation of the sick and wounded, 
and the other preparations to be made for a return 
march. Everything being ready, it was commenced 
at half-past ten o'clock next morning, January 23d, 
and continued without interruption until near night ; 
when they reached Enotichopco, having passed safely 



194 



EMUCKFAW. 



on the way a dangerous defile, occasioned by a hurri- 
cane. Expecting to be pursued and attacked, the army 
inarched in order of battle ; the sick and wounded being 
placed in the centre. Every precaution was taken to 
guard against an attack during the night. A breast- 
work was thrown up, sentinels doubled, spies sent out, 
and every arrangement made to repel any hostile at- 
tack. Thus guarded, they safely passed the night, 
though from certain signs the general was sure that 
the savages had been in pursuit all day, and that then 
they could not be far distant. 





CHAPTER X, 



ENOTICHOPCO. 



^^^^^HE night at Enotichopco was spent in mo- 
mentary expectation of an attack ; but it 
wore away without any attempt on the 
j^^- part of the savages to renew^ the battle. 
This unusual circumstance in Indian war- 
fare, led the general to conjecture that an ambuscade had 
been prepared, and that an attack would be made on 
him while crossing the creek in his front ; which, being 



196 ENOTICHOPCO. 

deep, and the banks rugged, and thickly covered with 
reeds, afforded many advantages for such a design. 
Near the crossing-place was a deep ravine, formed by 
the projection of two hills, overgrown with thick 
shrubbery and brown sedge, which afforded every 
convenience for concealment, whilst it entirely pre- 
vented pursuit. Along this route the army had passed 
in advancing ; through it it would naturally be ex- 
pected to return ; and here it was believed an ambus- 
cade would be formed, if any were intended. To guard 
against this, Jackson determined to take a different 
route. Accordingly, early in the morning, he secretly 
despatched a few pioneers to seek another crossing- 
place below. A convenient one was soon discovered 
about six hundred yards below the old one ; and 
thither the general now led his army, having pre- 
viously formed his front and rear-guards, and his right 
and left columns, with the sick and wounded in the 
centre. Before taking up the line of march he issued 
a general order, pointing out the manner in which the 
men should be formed in the event of an attack on the 
front or rear, or on the flanks, and particularly cau- 
tioning the officers to halt and form accordingly, the 
instant the alarm gun should be heard. 

A handsome slope of open woodland led down to 
the new ford, where, except immediately on the margin 
of the creek, which was covered with a few reeds, 
there was nothing to obstruct the view. The front 
guards and part of the columns had passed without 
interruption; the wounded were also over, and the 
artillery just entering the creek, when the alarm gun 
was heard in the rear. 



BATTLE OF ENOTICHOPCO. 197 

The Indians, learning by their spies that the route 
of the army had been changed, quitted the defile where 
they had expected to commence the assault, and ad- 
vancing on the rear guard, attacked a company under 
the command of Captain Russell. This company, 
though assailed by a vast multitude, returned the 
fire, and gradually retired until it reached the rear 
guard ; the centre column of ^vhich, according to ex- 
press instructions given, were in such a case to face 
about and act as the advance ; whilst the right and 
left columns should be turned on their pivots, so as to 
fall on the flanks and rear of the enemy, and thus ren- 
der his destruction sure. The right column of the 
rear guard was commanded by Colonel Perkins, the 
left by Lieutenant-Colonel Stump, and the centre co- 
lumn by Colonel Carroll. General Jackson was in the 
middle of the creek when the firing and yelling com- 
menced. Having instructed his aid to form a line for 
the protection of the wounded, who were but a short 
distance in advance, and afterwards to turn the left 
column, he himself proceeded to the right for a similar 
purpose. But what was the astonishment of the ge- 
neral, who the day before saw these troops fight like 
veterans, now to behold the right and left columns of 
the rear guard, after a feeble resistance precipitately 
give way, bringing with them confusion and dismay, 
and by their hasty and irregular flight obstructing the 
passage over which the principal strength of the army 
was to pass. This shameful retreat was extremely 
disastrous, and was only prevented from being fatal 
by the determined bravery of a few. The greater 
part of the centre column followed the example of the 



198 ENOTICHOPCO. 

Other two, and precipitated themselves into the creek, 
leaving not more than twenty-five men, who, being 
formed by Colonel Carroll, maintained their ground 
as long as it was possible to maintain it. The artil- 
lery company, commanded by Lieutenant Armstrong, 
and composed of young men of the first families, who 
had volunteered their services at the commencement 
of the campaign, formed with their muskets before 
the only piece of ordnance they had, and hastily 
dragged it from the creek to an eminence from which 
they could play to advantage. Before they could 
place it in the desired position, a yell from the savages 
and a shower of bullets warned them to prepare for 
their defence. The Indians endeavoured to charge 
and take it ; but the young men formed before it with 
their muskets and resolutely defended it. These 
young men, the few who remained with Colonel Car- 
roll and the gallant Captain Quarles, who soon fell at 
their head, with Russell's company of spies, the whole 
numbering not more than one hundred, maintained 
with the utmost firmness a contest for many minutes 
against a force at least five times greater than their 
own, and checked the advance of a foe already greatly 
inspirited from the consternation his first shock had 
produced. Every man who there fought seemed to 
prefer death to flight. 

The six-pounder was dragged to the top of the 
eminence, and turned upon the Indians. The rammer 
and pricker of the gun, having been left in the haste 
of the moment upon the limber, private Constantine 
Perkins rammed the cartridge home with the butt of 
his musket, and private Craven Jackson picked it with 



BATTLE OF ENOTICHOPCO. 199 

his ramrod, primed with a musket cartridge, and fired. 
This drew the fire of the savages upon them ; and be- 
fore they could again load and fire, the brave Lieuten- 
ant Armstrong, their commander, fell badly wounded 
in the groin. By his side fell Captain Hamilton, who 
having been abandoned by his men at Fort Strother, 
with his two brothers and his aged father, had attach- 
ed himself to the artillery company as a private, and 
in that capacity showed how deserving he was to 
command by the fidelity w ith which he obeyed. Ly- 
ing upon the ground and supposed to be dying, the 
thoughts of the brave Armstrong were still for his 
country. Unable himself to aid them, he called to 
his men, " My brave fellows, some may fall ; but you 
must save the cannon." He was answered with a 
shout for vengeance ; and as Perkins and Jackson, 
using their former plan, again fired, many were the 
warriors that breathed their last. 

In the meantime. General Jackson and his staflf 
had been enabled, by great exertions, to restore some- 
thing like order. The columns were again formed, 
and put in motion ; and small detachments had been 
sent across the creek to support the little band that 
there maintained their ground. The enemy, perceiving 
the columns advancing, and being warmly assailed on 
their left flank by Captain Gordon at the head of his 
company of spies, who had hastened from the front 
and re-crossed the creek, were in turn panic-struck, 
and fled in confusion, leaving their blankets behind 
them. Detachments were ordered in pursuit, who, 
in a chase of two miles, destroyed many and dispersed 
the remainder. 



200 ENOTICHOPCO. 

It was some time before Jackson, though making 
the greatest exertions, could restore order. In addi- 
tion to the assistance received from his staff, who 
were everywhere encouraging the timid and seeking 
to arrest the flight of the columns, he derived much help 
from the activity of General Coffee. That officer, in 
consequence of the severe wound he had received at 
Emuckfaw, had the day before been carried in a litter. 
Understanding that an attack was expected, he that 
morning mounted his horse and aided during the ac- 
tion with his usual calm and deliberate firmness. To 
encourage the men. General Jackson, pointing to Ge- 
neral Coflfee, exclaimed, "We'll conquer the enemy; 
the dead have risen and come to our aid." Not only 
Coffee, but all the officers of his brigade, who, having 
been abandoned by their men, had formed themselves 
into a corps, and followed the army as privates, ren- 
dered manifest now the value of experience. This was 
not the moment for fancied rules of etiquette. The 
very men who, a little time before, would have dis- 
dained advice, and spurned an order from any but 
their own commanders, did not scruple now to be regu- 
lated by those who seemed possessed of the power to 
extricate them from their danger. The hospital 
surgeon. Dr. Shelby, the adjutant-general, Sitler, 
Captain Gordon, and many others, particularly dis- 
tinguished themselves in the battle. 

It is scarcely necessary to remark, however, that, 
but for General Jackson, everything must have gone 
to ruin. On him all hopes were rested. In that mo- 
ment of confusion he was the rallying point, even for 
the spirits of the brave. Firm and energetic, and, at 



EFFECTS OF THE BATTLE. 201 

the same time, perfectly self-possessed, his example 
and his authority alike contributed to arrest the flying, 
and give confidence to those who maintained their 
ground. Cowards forgot their panic and fronted 
danger, when they heard his voice and beheld his 
manner ; and the brave would have formed around his 
body a rampart with their own. In the midst of 
showers of balls, of which he seemed unmindful, he 
was seen performing the duties of subordinate oflicers, 
rallying the alarmed, stopping them in their flight, 
forming his columns, and inspiriting them by his 
example. An army, suddenly dismayed, was thus 
rescued from the destruction that lately appeared 
inevitable. 

Jackson's whole loss in the several engagements 
on the 22d and 23d of January, was only twenty 
killed and seventy-five wounded, some of whom, how- 
ever, afterwards died. The loss of the enemy could 
not be accurately ascertained : one hundred of their 
warriors were found dead ,• but this must fall conside- 
rably short of the number really killed. The number 
of the wounded cannot be conjectured. 

All the effects designed to be produced by the ex- 
cursion were now produced. If an attack was medi- 
tated against Fort Armstrong, it was prevented. A 
most fortunate diversion was made in favour of Gene- 
ral Floyd. The number of the enemy was diminished, 
and the confidence they had derived from the vexatious 
delays which Jackson was made to experience de- 
stroyed. Discontent was kept out of his army ; while 
the troops who would have been exposed to it were 
beneficially employed. The enemy's country was ex- 



202 ENOTICHOPCO. 

plored, and a road cut to the point where, it was pro- 
bable, their force would be concentrated when driven 
from the country below^ But, perhaps, the greatest 
good that resulted from the expedition, was the effect 
produced on the minds of the people at home, from 
whom was to be collected a force sufficient to termi- 
nate the war. 

The enemy did not again harass the march of the 
little army. It was continued until the 27th, w hen they 
arrived at Fort Strother, full of the confidence which 
is inspired by success. 

This success was justly due to the courage, energy, 
and military talent of General Jackson. To his in- 
domitable spirit and incorruptible patriotism may be 
ascribed the final triumph of the American arms, and 
the subsequent security of the frontiers against savage 
depredations. If, when the patriotic impulses which 
originally animated the Tennessee troops gave place to 
mutinous discontent ; when the jealousy of his brother 
officers frustrated his plans for crushing the hostile 
force ; when the very executive of the state of Ten- 
nessee was disposed to abandon the ground which had 
been so gallantly won at Talladega, and the prospect 
of starvation stared the little band at Fort Strother in 
the very face; if, at these times, the mind of Jackson 
had succumbed, and his resolution been shaken — who 
can imagine — who can fix the bounds of the desolation 
which would inevitably have ensued! But his reso- 
lution once fixed, could not be moved ; and his firm 
adherence to the path of duty saved his country, and 
crowned his manly brow with a wreath of never-fading 
laurels. 



VOLUNTEERS DISCHARGED. 203 

Shortly after he returned to Fort Strother, the time 
of service of the sixty-day volunteers being nearly ex- 
pired, they were discharged. He detained them only 
long enough after his return, to complete boats for the 
transportation of provisions down the Coosa ; when 
that was done he ordered them to be marched home 
and honourably dismissed. The further services of 
the artillery corps were also dispensed with. This 
company had rendered important services, and ad- 
hered to him with great devotedness, in every vicissi- 
tude and through every difficulty he had encountered, 
from the first commencement of the campaign. His 
parting with them was accordingly very interesting and 
affecting. Although from the high sense he entertained 
of their bravery and fidelity he would gladly have re- 
tained them, yet he was too well convinced of the 
many sacrifices these young men had made, of the 
valour they had displayed, and the patience with which 
they had submitted in those moments of scarcity 
which had raised up discontents and mutiny in his 
camp, not to feel a desire to gratify their wishes, and 
permit them honourably to retire from a service which 
they had already so materially benefited. By the 
exertions of the governor, the ranks were filled with 
fresh troops ; and the general and his officers exerted 
themselves actively in disciplining them. While thus 
employed, he received agreeable news of the defeat 
of the Indians by General Floyd at Chatahouchee. 
The savages made a furious attack upon his post at 
Camp Defiance, on the morning of the 27th of January; 
they were met with firmness by the American troops, 
and after a bloody contest driven from the field. Thirtv- 
29 



204 



ENOTICHOPCO. 



seven of them were left dead on the field of battle, and 
the weapons and articles of dress left behind proved 
their whole loss to have been much greater. The 
Georgia troops lost seventeen killed, and one hundred 
and thirty-two wounded. In this action, as well as in 
those of Emuckfaw and Enotichopco, the friendly In- 
dians behaved with great gallantry, and rendered im- 
portant service. 





CHAPTER XI. 



TOHOPEKA, 




N order to supply the place 
of the troops who had just 
been discharged, General 
Cocke had been directed to 
brin«: into the field imme- 
diately the East Tennessee 
troops he had failed to raise 
when previously ordered to 
do so. These men were to be mustered into the 
United States service, to serve three months from the 
28th of February. Two thousand men were raised 
under this order; although Cocke pretended that it 
was impossible to execute it. Three thousand men 
from the second, or West Tennessee division, were 
also called out, under Brigadier-General Johnston. 

On the 6th of February, the 39th regiment of 
United States infantry, under Colonel Williams, ar- 



206 TOHOPEKA. 

rived at Fort Strother. The army was now suffi- 
ciently strong to commence active operations ; but the 
failure of supphes again impeded their movements. 
Notwithstanding the dismissal of the old contractors 
and the employment of new ones, the service con- 
tinued to be very imperfectly performed. The general, 
becoming indignant at the delay thus occasioned, or- 
dered that provisions should be purchased at the 
places where they were to have been furnished by the 
contractors, and that they should be obliged to bear 
the expense. Having thus ensured a sufficiency of 
provisions, the militia were ordered to march to head 
quarters. General Johnston's brigade arrived there 
on the 14th of February : but the East Tennessee 
troops, under Brigadier-General Doherty, manifested 
great indisposition to proceed. General Cocke, whose 
conduct had previously caused much embarrassment to 
General Jackson, entered the camp of General Do- 
herty, and actually persuaded many of the troops not 
to proceed. One hundred and eighty men, influenced 
by him, deserted, and returned home. These circum- 
stances being communicated to Jackson, he ordered 
General Doherty to put under arrest any officer who 
should attempt to produce mutiny among the troops, 
and send him to head quarters. The brigade was 
then marched to Fort Strother. 

Although there was now no cause for insubordina- 
tion, provisions being plentiful and the soldiers actively 
employed, yet the spirit of mutiny, which had been but 
lightly checked, again broke out. Jackson now saw 
that the sternest measures of military discipline had 
become indispensable. John Woods, once a deserter, 



EXECUTION OF WOODS. 



207 




The last Mutiny. 



now in open mutiny, was seized, tried by a court-mar- 
tial, and condemned to be shot. Painful as it was to 
the feelings of the general, he viewed it as a sacrifice 
essential to the preservation of good order, and left 
the sentence of the court to be inflicted. The execu- 
tion was productive of the happiest effects; order 
was instantly produced, and that opinion, so long in- 
dulged, that a militia-man could not be put to death 
for any offence, was from that moment abandoned, 
and a strict obedience afterwards characterized the 
whole army. 

In the early part of the month of March, 1814, 
General Jackson received information that a large 
body of Indians had assembled at the Indian encamp- 
ment on the Tallapoosa called Tohopeka, which Ge- 
neral Coffee had before pronounced too strong to be 
attacked to advantage without artillery. 



208 TOHOPEKA. 

On the 14th General Jackson marched from Fort 
Strother, and bent his course towards Tohopeka. On 
the 21st he arrived at the mouth of Cedar Creek, and 
there estabhshed a fort, which he named Fort Wil- 
hams. On the 2 1th, leaving a sufficient force under 
Brigadier-General Johnston, for the protection of the 
fort, with eight days' provisions, he set out for the Tal- 
lapoosa, by the way of Emuckfaw. The whole force 
now with him amounted to less than three thousand 
effective men ; being considerably reduced by the ne- 
cessity of leaving behind him strong garrisons at the 
different forts. About ten o'clock, on the morning of 
the 27th, after a march of fifty-two miles, he reached 
the village of Tohopeka. The enemy, being aware of 
his approach, had collected in considerable numbers, 
with the view of giving him battle. The warriors 
from the adjacent towns, Oakfuskie, Oakehoga, New 
Youcka, the Hillabees, the Fish-Pond, and Eulalee, 
amounting to a thousand or twelve hundred, were 
ready and waiting his approach. It is difficult to 
conceive of a situation more eligible for defence than 
the one they had chosen. Surrounded almost entirely 
by the river, which here takes the shape of a horse- 
shoe, from which it derived the name of the Horse- 
Shoe Bend, it was accessible only by a narrow neck 
of land, of three hundred and fifty yards width, which 
they had taken much pains to secure and defend, by 
erectinsf a breast-work, from five to eio;ht feet hiwh, 
formed of larije timbers and trunks of trees laid hori- 
zon tally upon each other, leaving but a single place of 
entrance. It extended across the point in such a di- 
rection, that an enemy approaching it would be ex- 



BATTLE OF TOPOHEKA. 



209 




Planting the Cannon. 



posed to a double fire, from its double row of loop- 
holes, whilst those behind it remained in perfect se- 
curity. 

Having ascertained the position of the enemy, 
Jackson despatched General Coffee, at the head of the 
mounted infantry and friendly Indians, with orders to 
gain the southern bank of the river, encircle the bend, 
and make some feint or manoeuvre by which to divert 
the enemy from the point where the real attack was 
intended to be made. He was particularly instructed 
so to arrange and dispose the force under his com- 
mand that they might not escape by passing to the 
opposite side in their canoes, with which it was said 
the whole shore was lined. 

Jackson, with the rest of the army, proceeded slow- 
ly and in order along the neck of land which led to 



210 TOHOPEKA. 

the front of their breastwork. Having planted hig 
cannon, one six and one three-pounder, about two 
hundred yards from the front of the enemy's line, with 
a view to break down his defence, a brisk fire was 
commenced. The musketry and rifles, which occupied 
a nearer position, were used as the Indians occasion- 
ally showed themselves from behind their works. The 
artillery was well served by Major Bradford, and the 
fire kept up for two hours, without making any impres- 
sion ; time, however, was gained for complete readiness. 

In the meantime, General Coffee having reached 
his point of destination on the opposite side of the 
river, formed his line, and despatched a part of the 
Indian force, with two companies of spies commanded 
by Captain Russell and Lieutenant Bean, across the 
river to the extremity of the bend. These companies 
set fire to a few buildings situated there, and then ad- 
vanced with great gallantry towards the camp and 
breastwork, and commenced a spirited fire upon the 
enemy in their front. 

This fire announcing the fact that General Coffee 
had arrived at his post, and secured the opposite bank 
of the river, the order was given by Jackson to storm 
the breastwork. Never were troops more eager to be 
led on, than were both regulars and militia. They 
had been waiting with impatience for the order, and 
hailed it with acclamations. The spirit which ani- 
mated them was a sure augury of the success which 
was to follow. Between them there was no differ- 
ence. Both advanced with the firmness and intre- 
pidity of veteran soldiers. The former, the thirty- 
ninth regiment, led on by their skilful commander, 



DEATH OF MAJOR MONTGOMERY. 211 







Battle of Tohopeka — Death of Major Moiilgoraery. 



Colonel Williams, and the brave but ill-fated Major 
Montgomery, and the militia, under the command of 
Colonel Burch, moved forward with alacrity, in the 
midst of a most tremendous fire, which poured upon 
them in one continuous stream. They soon reached 
the ramparts, where an obstinate and destructive con- 
flict ensued, each contending for the loop-holes, on 
different sides. Many of the enemy's balls were found 
30 



212 TOHOPEKA. 

welded between the muskets and bayonets of the 
soldiers. At this moment, Major Montgomery, leap- 
ing on the wall, called to his men to mount and follow 
him. He had scarcely spoken, when, shot through the 
head, he fell to the ground. But his followers had 
scaled the ramparts; and the savages, finding their po- 
sition no longer tenable, retired, and concealed them- 
selves amidst the brush and timber, which lay thickly 
scattered over the peninsula, whence they continued re- 
sistance, and kept up a galling and constant fire, until 
they were again charged and forced back. Driven 
to despair, not knowing whither to flee, and resolving 
not to surrender, they saw no other alternative than to 
eflfect their escape by passing in their canoes to the op- 
posite bank of the river ; from this, however, they were 
prevented, by perceiving General Coffee's detachment 
in possession of the bank. Under these circumstances, 
the remaining warriors, who yet survived the severity 
of the conflict, betaking themselves to flight, leaped 
down the banks, and concealed themselves along the 
cliffs and steeps, which were covered by the trees 
which had been felled fi'om their margin. From these 
secreted spots, when an opportunity offered, they 
would fire and disappear. 

General Jackson, perceiving that any further resist- 
ance would only involve them in utter destruction, 
sent a flag, accompanied by an interpreter, to propose 
to them a surrender and save the further eftusion of 
blood. Whether the proposal was fully explained, 
none but the interpreter can know; but instead of 
being accepted, as was fully expected, and in every in- 
stance of civilized warfare would have been the case, 



BATTLE OF TOHOPEKA. 213 

it was answered by a discharge, which wounded one 
of the messengers. Finding they would not yield, 
nor abandon the course of desperation which they had 
resolved on, orders were given to dislodge them. To 
accomplish this the artillery was turned against them, 
but with no effect. Lighted torches were then thrown 
down the steeps, which, communicating with the brush 
and trees, and setting them on fire, drove the Indians 
from their hiding-places, and brought them to view. 
Thus the carnage continued until night separated the 
combatants; when the few misguided savages who 
had avoided the havoc and slaughter of the day were 
enabled through the darkness of the night to make 
their escape. 

While the main attack was thus made, the spies 
and friendly Indians sent over by General Coffee were 
effecting much ; and no doubt to the course pursued 
by them, was greatly owing the facility with which 
the breastwork was scaled and its possession obtained. 
The flames of their town necessarily divided the atten- 
tion and opposition of the savages, and drew some of 
them to the protection of a point which they had 
hitherto believed secure, and where they had not ap- 
prehended an attack. Thus assailed from an unex- 
pected quarter, — a force in their rear, and another still 
stronger advancing in their front, afforded the invading 
army a much easier and less hazardous opportunity 
of succeeding in the assault and securing the victory. 

This battle gave a death-blow to all the hopes of 
the Creeks ; nor did they afterwards attempt to make 
a stand. They had now tried every mode of warfare 
known to them without success. From their fastnesses 



214 TOHOPEKA. 

in the woods they had tried their system of ambus- 
cades; they had brought on the attack; they had made 
use of darkness and the cover of night; they had 
made the open attack in broad day; and now they 
had tried the strength of an entrenched and fortified 
camp ; and in all they had met but failure and disaster. 
They had, no doubt, strongly fortified Tohopeka, in 
consequence of their continual defeats, and had retired 
to it as a last resort, determined to conquer or perish. 
That such a resolution had been taken, is presumed 
from their desperate obstinacy — in their refusal of all 
offers of quarter ; and is rendered certain from the 
circumstance that they permitted their women and 
children to remain in the encampment, whom, in other 
cases, they were always careful to remove far from 
danger. 

In this action the best and bravest of their warriors 
were destroyed, and a greater loss sustained than 
had been met with in any of their previous contests. 
Few escaped the carnage. Of the killed, many were 
thrown into the river while the battle raged ; many, 
in endeavouring to pass it, were destroyed by the 
steady fire of Coffee's brigade ; and five hundred and 
fifty-seven were left dead on the ground. 

Among the number of the slain were three of their 
prophets. Decorated in a wild and fantastic manner, 
— with the plumage of many birds about their heads 
and shoulders, with savage grimaces and horrid con- 
tortions of their body, these impostors danced and 
howled their horrid incantations to their gods. Their 
infatuated followers already believed a communion 
with heaven sure, which, moved by entreaties, and 



THE WOUNDED WARRIOR. 



215 




Indian Prophet. 



offered homage, would aid them in the conflict, and 
give a triumph to their arms. Fear was entirely 
banished from their minds ; and when they beheld the 
army approaching, and already scaling their breast- 
work, even then, far from being dispirited, hope sur- 
vived, and victory was still anticipated. 

Four men, who surrendered, and three hundred 
women and children were taken prisoners. One of 
these men, " a young Creek warrior, severely wounded, 
was brought before General Jackson, and a surgeon 
was called to dress his wounds. With his rude no- 
tions of war he regarded his death as inevitable, and 
looking earnestly at the general, as his limb was bound 
Up, he exclaimed, * Cure him, kill him again V Jackson 



216 



TOHOPEKA. 




The young Creek Warrior. 



assured him that he was safe ; and moved by his youth, 
as he had previously been affected by the helpless in- 
fant at Tallushatchee, he sent him home to Nashville, 
watched over his interests, and established him in a 
respectable trade. 

" How freshly and sweetly, like blossoms on the 
battle-field, do such noble and generous acts spring up 
amid the waste of war ! and how much of beauty 
and of tenderness do they add to the heroic strength 
of a great commander ! They are like a garland of 
roses around the iron helmet of the warrior. A 
hundred generations have wept over the verses of 
Homer which describe the parting of the Trojan chief 
from his infant boy as he goes out to battle. American 
hearts shall throb with tearful pleasure, through all 
time, as they think of the tenderness of Jackson 



LOSS OF THE AMERICANS. 217 

towards the infant Lincoyer, and the youthful captive 
of Tohopeka."* 

That to few warriors should have sought and ob- 
tained safety, by appealing to the clemency of the 
victors, will not appear a matter of surprise to persons 
acquainted with the mode of Indian warfare. It 
seldom happens that they extend or solicit quarter: 
faithless themselves, they place no reliance on the 
faith of others ; and when overcome in battle, seek no 
other protection than dexterity and speed afford. 
Another cause for it may be found in a reason already 
given, in the attack made by a detachment of General 
Cocke's division on the Hillabee tribes, who were as- 
sailed and put to the sword at a moment when, having 
asked for peace, they were expecting it to be given. 
This misfortune had destroyed all confidence on the 
part of the savages, in the integrity and humanity of 
the Americans ; and they now looked and trusted for 
safety to nothing but their own valour. In this contest 
they maintained resistance, fighting and firing from 
their hiding-places, long after the hope, either of suc- 
cess or escape, was or should have been at an end, 
and after the proposal had been submitted to spare 
the further useless waste of blood. A few who had 
lain quiet and concealed under the cliffs, survived the 
severity of the conflict, and effected their retreat under 
cover of the night. 

Jackson's loss, though considerable, was small 
when compared with that of the enemy. The whole 
estimate, including in it the Cherokees and friendly 
Creeks, was but fifty-four killed, and one hundred 

* BoUes's Eulogy. 



218 TOHOPEKA. 

and fifty-six wounded. Of the former was Major 
Montgomery, a brave and enterprising young officer 
of the thirty-ninth regiment, and Lieutenants Moulton 
and Somerville, who fell early in the charge. 

The object of the expedition being thus accom- 
plished, General Jackson, in pursuance of his first 
plan, decided to return to Fort Williams for pro- 
visions, and then hastened to the Hickory Ground, 
where he hoped to be able to put an end to the war. 
After committing the bodies of the slain to a watery 
grave in the river Tallapoosa, that they might not be 
scalped by the Indians, General Jackson set out on 
his return to Fort Williams. 

Having arrived at that post on the 1st of April, 
his first object was to excite in the breasts of his 
soldiers a sense of pride, commensurate with the 
achievements they had performed and the valour they, 
had displayed. He was impelled to it by the con- 
sciousness that excitement, once subsided, could with 
difficulty be again roused ; and from a strong desire 
to ward off from his ranks that despondency which 
had once proved so fatal to his hopes. Besides, he 
wished to point out to his followers the good effects 
which would result from their splendid victories, to 
thank them for their implicit obedience and unsur- 
passed gallantry, and to congratulate them on the 
approach of the period when the frontiers should be 
no longer alarmed by the yell of the murderous Creek. 
With a view to these objects, the next day, on parade, 
before the fort, he addressed them as follows : 

" Soldiers of Tennessee : — You have entitled your- 
selves to the gratitude of your country and your gene- 



ADDRESS TO THE TROOPS. 21^ 

ral. The expedition from which you have just re- 
turned has, by your good conduct, been rendered 
prosperous beyond any example in the history of our 
warfare : it has redeemed the character of our state, 
and of that description of troops of which tlie greater 
part of you are. 

" You have, within a few days, opened our way to 
Tallapoosa, and destroyed a confederacy of the enemy, 
ferocious by nature, and grown insolent from impunity. 
Relying on their numbers, the security of their situa- 
tion, and the assurances of their prophets, they derided 
our approach, and already exulted in anticipation of 
the victory they expected to obtain. But they were 
ignorant of the influence of government on the human 
powers, nor knew what brave men and civilized force 
could effect. By their yells they hoped to frighten us, 
and with their wooden fortifications to oppose us. 
Stupid mortals ! their yells but designated their situa- 
tion the more certainly ; whilst their walls became a 
snare for their own destruction. So will it ever be, 
when presumption and ignorance contend against 
bravery and prudence. 

"The fiends of the Tallapoosa will no longer mur- 
der our women and children, or disturb the quiet of our 
borders. Their midnight flambeaux will no more illu- 
mine their council-house, or shine upon the victim of 
their infernal orgies. In their places a new generation 
will arise, who will know their duty better. The 
weapons of warfare will be exchanged for the utensils 
of husbandry ; and the wilderness, which now withers 
in sterility, and mourns the desolation which over- 
spreads her, will blossom as the rose, and become the 
31 



220 



TOHOPEKA. 



nursery of the arts. But before this happy day can 
arrive, other chastisements remain to be inflicted. It 
is indeed lamentable that the path to peace should 
lead through blood, and over the bodies of the slain ; 
but it is a dispensation of Providence to inflict partial 
evils that good may be produced. 

" Our enemies are not sufliciently humbled, — they 
do not sue for peace. A collection of them await our 
approach, and remain to be dispersed. Buried in ig- 
norance, and seduced by their prophets, they have the 
weakness to believe they will still be able to make a 
stand against us. They must be undeceived, and 
made to atone their obstinacy and their crime by still 
further suffering. The hopes which have so long de- 
luded them, must be driven from their last refuge. 
They must be made to know that their prophets are 
impostors, and that our strength is mighty, and will 
prevail. Then, and not till then, may we expect to 
make with them a peace that shall be lasting." 





CHAPTER XII. 

CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 



HILE General Jackson was thus 
increasing the strength of his coun- 
try, his own was fast failing. In- 
cessant fatigue and arduous duty 
had retarded the recovery of his 
health and reduced him almost to 
a skeleton ; but the success which 
attended his operations made him forget, or, at least, 
disregard his debility. Understanding that the enemy 
was embodied in considerable numbers at Hoithlewa- 




222 CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 

lee, an Indian town situated not far from the Hickory 
Ground, he was anxious to recommence his operations. 
The forces under his command had been too much re- 
duced in strength by sickness, some discharges which 
be had granted, and the loss sustained in the late bat- 
tle, to permit him to act as efficiently as he wished. It 
was desirable, therefore, to effect a junction with the 
southern army as soon as possible. The North Caro- 
lina troops, under the command of General Graham, and 
those of Georgia, under Colonel Milton, were said to 
be somewhere south of the Tallapoosa, and could be 
at no great distance. General Pinckney, who com- 
manded the whole, recommended to Jackson to effect 
this union as soon as possible. It therefore became 
necessary to apprise those officers of his intended 
movements, that they might be enabled to co-operate 
with him. Having, not without difficulty, engaged 
suitable messengers, Jackson sent to Colonel Milton, 
informing him that on the 7th he would take up the 
line of march for Hoithlewalee. This place he ex- 
pected to reach by the 11th, and he desired the colonel 
to act in concert with him acjainst it. Pursuant to his 
promise, he left Fort Williams on the 7th, with all his 
disposable force, and -proceeded on his march; but 
the height of the water in the streams delayed his ar- 
rival at Hoithlewalee till the 13th. The quantity of 
water in the creek before the town prevented him from 
crossing until the next day, by which time the enemy 
had escaped. They were pursued some distance, and 
about twenty-five taken prisoners. Had Colonel Mil- 
ton co-operated, as he might have done, and sur- 
rounded the enemy's rear, they could not have es- 



PURSUIT OF THE INDIANS, 



223 




Pursuit of the Indians. 



caped. On the 14th, he sent a note to Jackson that 
he was within four miles of the town, which he intend- 
ed to attack that day. He had heen saved the trouble, 
however, by the general, who had destroyed the town. 
The provisions brought by the army from Fort 
Williams being nearly exhausted, Jackson requested 
Colonel Milton, who had an abundant supply, to make 
up the deficiency. The colonel delayed his compli- 
ance, when the request was changed to an order, and 
he was also directed to join the main army. 



224 CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 

The spirits of the Indians seemed to be now com- 
pletely broken ; and their chiefs came into the camp 
daily, proffering the calumet or pipe of peace, and 
begging that the warfare against them might be dis- 
continued. They were ordered to settle in the rear 
of the army, and north of Fort Williams, where they 
would not be molested ; and General Jackson resolved 
to proceed to the Hickory Ground, where the hostile 
tribes were expected to make their last and most 
desperate stand. This was the name given to the 
country at the junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa 
rivers, which their traditions declared had never been 
desecrated by the foot of a white man, and which was 
considered holy ground. 

Proceeding on his march, Jackson arrived at the 
site of the old Toulossee fort, situated on the Coosa, 
not far from the confluence, at which he erected 
another, which was called after himself. Here the 
rivers approach within six hundred yards of each 
other, and again diverging, unite sixty miles below. 
At this place, the chiefs of the different tribes were 
daily arriving, and offering to submit on any terms. 
They all concurred in their statements, that those of 
the hostile party who were still opposed to asking for 
peace had fled from the nation, and sought refuge along 
the coasts and in Pensacola. General Jackson renewed 
the assurances he had previously given, that they 
could find safety in no other way than by repairing 
to the section of country already pointed out to them, 
where they might remain quiet and undisturbed. 

To put their friendly professions at once to the 
test, he directed them to bring Weatherford to his 



SURRENDER OF WEATHERFORD. 



225 




Weatherford. 



camp tied, that he might be dealt with as he deserved. 
He was one of the first chiefs of the nation, and had 
been the principal actor in the butchery at Fort Minims. 
Learning from the chiefs on their return, what had 
been required of them by Jackson, he was prevailed 
upon, as being perhaps the safer course, to go and 
make a voluntary surrender of himself. Having 
reached the camp without being known, and obtained 
admission to the general's quarters, he told him he 
was Weatherford, the chief who had commanded at 
Fort Mimms, and desiring peace for himself and his 
people, had come to ask it. Somewhat surprised 
that one who so richly merited punishment should so 
sternly demand the protection which had been ex- 
tended to others, he replied to him that he was aston- 



226 CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 




Weatherford surrenders himself. 



ished he should venture to appear in his presence ; 
that he was not ignorant of his havinor been at Fort 
Mimms, nor of his conduct there, for which he well 
deserved to die. "I had directed," continued he, 
" that you should be brought to me confined ; had 
you appeared in this way, I should have known how 
to have treated you." Weatherford replied, " I am 
in your power — do with me as you please. I am a 
soldier. I have done the white people all the harm I 
could ; I have fought them, and fought them bravely ; 
if I had an army, I would yet fight and contend to the 



WEATHERFORD SUES FOR PEACE. 227 

last: but I have none; my people are all gone. I 
can now do no more than weep over the misfortunes 
of my nation." Pleased at the firmness of the man, 
Jackson informed him that he did but solicit him to 
lay down his arms and become peaceable: "The 
terms on which your nation can be saved and peace 
restored, have already been disclosed: in this way, and 
in none other, can you obtain safety." If, however, 
he wished still to continue the war, and felt himself 
prepared to meet the consequences, although he was 
then completely in his power, no advantage should be 
taken of that circumstance ; that he was at perfect 
liberty to retire and unite himself with the war party, 
if he pleased ; but if taken, his life should pay the for- 
feit of his crimes ; if this were not desired, he might 
remain where he was, and should be protected. 

Weatherford answered that he desired peace, that 
his nation might in some measure be relieved from 
their sufferings ; that independent of other misfortunes, 
growing out of a state of war, their cattle and grain 
were all wasted and destroyed, and their women and 
children destitute of provisions. "But," continued 
he, " I may be well addressed in such language now. 
There was a time when I had a choice, and could 
have answered you; I have none now, — even hope 
has ended. Once I could animate my warriors to 
battle ; but I cannot animate the dead. My warriors 
can no longer hear my voice: their bones are at 
Talladega, Tallushatchee, Emuckfaw, and Tohopeka. 
I have not surrendered myself thoughtlessly. Whilst 
there were chances of success I never left my post 
nor supplicated peace. But my people are gone, and 
32 



228 CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 

I now ask it for my nation and for myself. On the 
miseries and misfortunes l)rought upon my country, 
I look back with the deepest regret, and wish to avert 
still greater calamities. If I had been left to contend 
with the Georgia army, I would have raised my corn 
on one bank of the river, and fought them on the 
other; but your people have destroyed my nation. 
You are a brave man : I rely upon your generosity. 
You will exact no terms of a conquered people but 
such as they should accede to: whatever they may 
be, it would now be madness and folly to oppose. If 
they are opposed, you shall find me amongst the 
sternest enforcers of obedience. Those who would 
still hold out, can be influenced only by a mean spirit 
of revenge ; and to this they must not and shall not 
sacrifice the last remnant of their country. You have 
told us Avhere we might go and be safe. This is a 
good talk, and my nation ought to listen to it. They 
shall listen to it." 

Satisfied of his sincerity, the general authorized 
him to return to the forests, with a small number of 
followers, and conduct the remnant of his nation to 
the country which had been assigned them, above 
Fort Williams. Numerous detachments were sent out 
to scour the Indian country, and disperse any collec- 
tions of warriors they might find ; but they met with 
no opposition ; the Indians everywhere manifesting a 
desire for the return of peace. 

On the 20th of April, General Pinckney arrived at 
Fort Jackson, and took the command. The measures 
adopted by Jackson met his full approval. The pos- 
session of the ground which had been gained, and the 



VOLUNTEERS DISCHARGED. 229 

protection of the frontiers against any future attack 
which might be made, being secured by the hne of 
forts which had been estabhshed connecting the Ala- 
bama with the settlements of Tennessee and Georgia, 
there remained no necessity for keeping an army in 
the field. The time of the West Tennessee troops 
being about to expire, Jackson was ordered to march 
them back to the state, and discharge them. The 
division of General Doherty was retained to garrison 
the several posts. Four hundred men were stationed 
at Fort Williams, two hundred and fifty at Fort 
Strother, and seventy-five at Fort Armstrong and 
New Deposit. Captain Hammond's company of ran- 
gers was ordered to garrison Old Deposit. 

General Jackson received the order to march on 
the 21st of April, and in two hours was on his way. 
On the evening of the 24th, he arrived at Fort 
Williams. From this place he detached Brigadier- 
General Johnston, at the head of five hundred men, 
with orders to proceed to the head of the Cahawba 
river, to destroy any bodies of the enemy who might 
be collected there, and rejoin the main body at Deposit. 
The detachment proceeded as ordered, but found no 
enemy, and returned, after burning several Indian 
towns. Jackson continued his march to Camp Blount, 
near Fayetteville, where the troops were honourably 
discharged. The parting of these brave men from 
their commander was very affecting. Endeared to 
each other by the remembrance of the privations they 
had borne, of the difficulties they had overcome, and 
of the bloody fields on which, side by side, they had 
contended, the dissolution of the relation they had 



230 CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 

sustained to each other called forth the warmest emo- 
tions. The general addressed his fellow-soldiers in 
terms of the strongest attachment, recounting their 
deeds of fame, their patience in hardship, and their 
valour in the field, and assuring them that the recol- 
lection of their services would never be effaced from 
the grateful hearts of their countrymen. 

Warmly as Jackson was attached to his soldiers, 
still more ardently did they love and admire his noble 
qualities. His conduct during the whole war had en- 
titled him to the name of a great general. When 
supplies failed, and starvation seemed to be at the 
door, he shared the same fare as the meanest of his 
followers, setting them a noble example of manly en- 
durance. When the mutinous conduct of his troops 
aroused the fiery spirit which slept within him, he 
heeded not his own danger, but freely exposed his life 
to the fury of his troops, that he might save them from 
disgrace, and his country from ruin. Then it was 
that " he shone before his mutinous followers as some- 
thing god-like ; they bowed in awe before him, and 
obeyed his commands as a superior being."* 

In the moment of action he was characterized by 
a perfect contempt of danger, a constant presence of 
mind, and a confidence of success which nothing could 
shake. His eagle eye saw at once what was neces- 
sary to be done, and his active mind was never at a 
loss for the plan for attaining his objects. To his 
firmness in the midst of danger, and his never-failing 
confidence, were owing, in a great measure, the suc- 

* Garland's Eulogy. 



TREATY WITH THE CREEKS. 231 

cess of the campaign. These things were known to 
his soldiers, who regarded him with a sentiment ap- 
proaching to adoration. They were always ready, 
after this time, to follow him to the field, feeling that 
in their general they had an assurance of success. 

General Jackson, having brought the Creek war to 
a successful termination, wished to retire to private 
life, to recover his health, and obtain the relaxation of 
mind and body which his arduous labours had rendered 
necessary. His country, however, could not afford to 
lose the services of a genius so brilliant, a patriotism 
so ardent. The general government, having seen and 
admired the consummate military knowledge displayed 
by him in the Creek campaign, determined to secure 
his services to the regular army. On the 22d of May 
he was notified by the war department, that the presi- 
dent had appointed him brigadier-general, and brevet- 
major-general, in the United States service. Shortly 
afterwards, he was still further honoured with a com- 
mission as major-general, a vacancy having been cre- 
ated by the resignation of Major-General Harrison. 
The first service in which the government employed 
him, was the negotiation of a treaty with the savages 
whom he had conquered. 

Pursuant to the orders of the secretary of war, 
General Jackson proceeded again to the scene of his 
trials and triumphs. He arrived at the Alabama river 
on the 10th of July, 1814, and immediately entered 
upon his duties. By the 10th of August, he had con- 
cluded a treaty with the Creeks, by which they bound 
themselves not to engage in hostilities against the 
United States, nor to permit emissaries from any 



232 



CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 




General Harrison. 



foreign power to enter their country. They also 
agreed to cede to the United States all that part of 
their territory lying west and south of a line running 
along the Coosa river from the Cherokee boundary to 
Woe-tum-ka, and thence eastwardly to Georgia. 
They pleaded long and earnestly to be permitted to 
retain their lands. 

Unwilling to resort to any other mode of hving 
than that to which they had been always accustomed ; 
and satisfied that their means of subsistence would be 
lost in the surrender of their country, they remained 
obstinately opposed to such an arrangement. Before 
being finally acted upon, the treaty was fully debated 
in council, and the voice of the nation decided against 
it. Jackson had already submitted the views of his 



SPEECH OF BIG WARRIOR. 



233 




Big Warrior. 



government, and now met them in council to learn 
their determination. 

He was answered by the Big Warrior, a friendly 
chief, and one of their first orators, who declared the 
reluctance they felt in yielding to the demand, from a 
conviction of the consequences involved, and the dis- 
tresses it must inevitably bring upon them. The firm 
and dignified eloquence of this untutored orator evinced 
a nerve and force of expression that might not have 
passed unnoticed before a more highly polished as- 
sembly. The conclusion of his speech is given, for the 
satisfaction of such as can mark the bold display of 
savage genius, and admire it when discovered. Having 
unfolded the causes that produced the war, and ad- 
mitted that they had been preserved alone by the army 
which had hastened to their assistance, he urged, that 
though in justice it might be required of them to 



234 CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 

defray the expenses incurred by the transfer of a part 
of their country, yet the demand was premature, be- 
cause the war party was not conquered : they had 
only fled away, and might yet return. He portrayed 
the habits of the Indians, and how seriously they would 
be affected by the required surrender; and thus 
concluded : 

" The President, our father, advises us to honesty 
and fairness, and promises that justice shall be done : 
I hope and trust it will be ! I made this war, which 
has proved so fatal to my country, that the treaty 
entered into a long time ago with Father Washington 
might not be broken. To his friendly arm I hold fast. 
I will never break that chain of friendship we 
made together, and which bound us to stand by the 
United States. He was a father to the Muscoga 
people ; and not only to them, but to all the people 
beneath the sun. His talk I now hold in my hand. 
There sits the agent* he sent amonsf us. Never has 
he broken the treaty. He has lived with us a long time. 
He has seen our children born, who now have children. 
By his direction, cloth was woven, and clothes were 
made, and spread through our country : but the red- 
sticks came, and destroyed all, — we have none now. 
Hard is our situation, and you ought to consider it. 
I state what all the nation knows: nothing will I 
keep secret. 

" There is the Little Warrior, whom Colonel Haw- 
kins knows. While we were giving satisfaction for 
the murders which had been committed, he proved a 

* Colonel Hawkins. 



SPEECH OF BIG WARRIOR. 235 

mischief-maker ; he went to the British on the lakes ; 
he came back, and brought a package to the frontiers, 
which increased the murders here. This conduct has 
already made the war party to suffer greatly ; but, al- 
though almost destroyed, they will not yet open their 
eyes ; but are still led away by the British at Pensacola. 
Not so with us : we were rational, and had our senses 
— we yet are so. In the war of the revolution, our 
father beyond the waters encouraged us to join him, 
and we did so. We had no sense then. The promises 
he made were never kept. We were young and foolish, 
and fought with him. The British can no longer per- 
suade us to do wrong : they have deceived us once, 
and can deceive us no more. You are two great 
people. If you go to war, we will have no concern in 
it ; for we are not able to fight. We wish to be at 
peace with every nation. If they offer me arms, I will 
say to them. You put me in danger to war against a 
people born in our own land. They shall never force 
us into danger. You shall never see that our chiefs 
are boys in council, who will be forced to do anything. 
I talk thus, knowing that Father Washington advised 
us never to interfere in wars. He told us that those 
in peace were the happiest people. He told us that 
if an enemy attacked him, he had warriors enough, 
and did not wish his red children to help him. If the 
British advise us to do anything, I will tell you, — not 
hide it from you. If they say we must fight, I will 
tell them. No !" 

The war party not being entirely subdued, was but 
a pretext to avoid the demand ; presuming that if the 
council should break up without anything being defi- 
33 



236 CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 

nitely done, they might, in part, or perhaps altogether, 
avoid what was now required ; but the inflexibihty of 
the person with whom they were treating, evinced 
to them that, however just and well-founded might be 
their objections, the policy under which he acted was 
too clearly defined for an abandonment of his demand 
to be at all calculated upon. Shelocta, one of their 
chiefs, who had joined Jackson's troops at the com- 
mencement of the war, who had marched and fought 
with them in all their battles, and had attached to him- 
self strongly the confidence of the commanding general, 
now addressed him, wishing to preserve to the nation 
the country west of the Coosa. He appealed to the 
feelings of Jackson ; told him of the dangers they had 
passed together ; and of his faithfulness to him in the 
trying scenes through which they had gone. 

The voice of none ought to have been heard before 
Shelocta's. None had rendered greater services, and 
none had been more faithful. He had claims OTOwinjj 
out of his fidelity that few others had ; but his wishes 
were at variance with what Jackson considered the 
interests of his country ; and he answered without 
hesitation. 

" You know," said he, " that the portion of your 
country which you desire to retain, is that through 
which the intruders and mischief-makers from the 
lakes reached you, and urged your nation to those 
acts of violence that have involved your people in 
wretchedness, and your country in ruin. Through 
it leads the path Tecum seh trod when he came to 
visit you : that path must be stopped. Until this be 
done, your nation cannot expect happiness, nor mine 



TREATY WITH THE CREEKS. 237 

security. I have already told you the reasons for de- 
manding it ; they are such as ought not — cannot be 
departed from. This evening must determine whether 
or not you are disposed to become friendly. Your 
rejecting the treaty will show you to be the enemies 
of the United States — enemies even to yourselves." 
He admitted it to be true that the war was not ended, 
but that this was an additional reason why the cession 
should be made ; that then a line would be drawn by 
which his soldiers would be able to distinguish and 
know their friends. " When our armies," continued 
he, " came here, the hostile party had even stripped 
you of your country : we retook it, and now offer it 
to you ; — theirs we propose to retain. Those who 
are disposed to give effect to the treaty, will sign it. 
They will be within our territory; will be protected 
and fed ; and no enemy of theirs or ours shall molest 
them. Those who oppose it, shall have leave to retire 
to Pensacola. Here is the paper: take it, and show 
the president, who are his friends. Consult, and this 
evening let me know who will sign it, and who will 
not. I do not wish, nor will I attempt to force any 
of you ; — act as you think proper." 

This freedom of action admitted of little choice in 
their weakened and dispirited condition ; and at the 
appointed time the treaty was returned with the signa- 
tures of the chiefs. The frontiers were thus secured 
against savage depredations, and the communication 
between the Creeks and Seminoles entirely destroyed. 
It would have been unsafe, however, to regard peace 
as permanently secured, while several of the principal 
chiefs of the hostile Creeks, with many of their fol- 



238 



CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 




Treaty with the Creeks 



lowers, were protected by the Spanish authorities at 
Pensacola. Two of these chiefs, named M'Queen and 
Francis, had taken an active part in the massacre at 
Fort Mimms, and the subsequent hostihties. The 
Spanish governor permitted them to be exercised in 
mihtary evolutions, and regularly drilled by British 
officers ; and arms and ammunition for their use were 
landed from British vessels. It could not be over- 
looked that this course of the Spaniards would inevi- 
tably lead to a renewal of the Creek war, with perhaps 
greater barbarity than ever. General Jackson deter- 
mined to put a stop to these proceedings, by remon- 



LETTER TO THE SPANISH GOVERNOR. 239 




Indian Village. 



strance, if possible ; by force, if argument should fail. 
Previous to addressing the Spanish governor on the 
subject, he sent several officers privately to Pensacola, 
to ascertain the true state of things at that post. They 
reported that the information previously received was 
correct, and that the governor was completely under 
the influence of the British. Jackson now wrote a 
letter to Don Gonzales Manriquez, the Spanish gover- 
nor, requesting him to deliver up M'Queen and Fran- 
cis, that they might receive the punishment due to 
their crimes ; and remonstrating against the protection 
and assistance afforded to the British. The governor 
returned a positive refusal to what he affected to con- 



240 



CONCLUSION OF THE CREEK WAR. 



sider an extraordinary demand, and even asserted that 
the United States had usurped the territory ceded to 
them by the Creeks in the treaty of the Hickory 
Ground. An angry correspondence followed, without 
producing any etiect upon the Spaniard. 

After concluding the Creek negotiations. General 
Jackson was appointed commander-in-chief of the 7th 
military district, comprising Tennessee, Louisiana, and 
the Mississippi territory ; and fixed his head quarters 
at Mobile. 





Death of Lieutenant Murray. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



PENSACOLA 




UR narrative now takes us to the 
Spanish province of Florida. Spe- 
cial messengers, sent by Jackson to 
Pensacola, had reported the pre- 
sence of the British and hostile In- 
dians there, in great force. One 
of these messengers, Captain Gordon, reported that he 
saw in Pensacola and its vicinity upwards of one hun- 
dred and fifty British officers, a park of artillery, and 
about five hundred Indians, dressed in British uniform, 
and under drill by British officers. Genera] Jackson, 
to make assurance doubly sure, despatched Lieutenant 



242 PENSACOLA. 

Murray, with twenty-five men, to reconnoitre Pensa- 
cola and the fortress of Barrancas, and report the 
truth of the matter. They saw seven British armed 
vessels in the bay, and the British jack hoisted beside 
the Spanish flag on the walls of the Barrancas. Re- 
turning, within three miles of Pensacola, Lieutenant 
Murray was mortally wounded by a rifle-shot of an 
Indian. The report of the rifle was answered from 
the fort and the town, and the detachment had to hasten 
onward to avoid capture. The Indian was slain, and 
Murray was put on horseback, when the troop pro- 
ceeded. It had gone but a short distance, when it 
was perceived that the lieutenant was dead. In full 
hearing of the whoops, yells, and firing, indicating a 
close pursuit, the troops halted at a little hole in the 
earth, or ravine, and laid the body of their commander 
therein, " with his martial cloak around him ;" a little 
earth and leaves were hastily thrown over his re- 
mains, and the party pushed forward to the American 
camp.* 

All this was done in Spanish territory, in the terri- 
tory of a king professing to be neutral in the war 
between Britain and the United States. Jackson im- 
mediately made this state of affairs known to the go- 
vernment. In detailing to the secretary of war what 
had been communicated to him, he remarks : — 

" If the hostile Creeks have taken refuse in Florida, 
and are there fed, clothed, and protected ; if the British 
have landed a large force, and munitions of war, and are 
fortifying and stirring up the savages ; will you only 

* Cartwright's Eulogy. 



LETTER TO THE SPANISH GOVERNOR. 243 

say to me, raise a few hundred militia, which can be 
quickly done, and with such regular force as can be 
conveniently collected, make a descent upon Pensacola, 
and reduce it ? If so, I promise you the war in the 
south shall have a speedy termination, and English 
influence be for ever destroyed with the savages in 
this quarter." 

The secretary of war, General Armstrong, coin- 
cided with him, and, indeed, authorized him to attack 
Pensacola ; but though his letter bore date the 18th 
of July, 1814, it was tiever received by Jackson until the 
17th of Jmiuary, 1815; that is, nine days after the 
British army had been partly slaughtered and partly 
driven into the sea by the battle of New Orleans ! 

In the meantime he had received no instructions 
from the war department relative to the course to be 
pursued towards the jieutral Spanish authorities in Flo- 
rida. Accordingly, he at first remonstrated with 
Manriquez, the Spanish governor, upon the impropriety 
and impohcy of his conduct in admitting and shelter- 
ing within his walls a power with which the United 
States were at war. He concluded by soliciting the 
expulsion of the hostile Creeks and British from Pen- 
sacola and the Barrancas, and by requesting him to 
point out the course he was about to pursue. 

The governor, however, felt himself growing in im- 
portance. He had received intelligence from Europe 
of the defeat and imprisonment of Napoleon Buona- 
parte, — he had placed arms in the hands of savages 
" for the purposes of self-defence" — many of them were 
flocking into his territory, and more even yet ex- 
pected — the British had already landed a partial 
34 



244 PENSACOLA. 

force, and a greater one was daily looked for. Against 
this certain and expected strength, added to what his 
own resources could supply, he believed an American 
general would not venture to advance. These consi- 
derations led him to assume a lofty tone in his answer 
to Jackson. He arraigned the conduct of the United 
States, in extinguishing the Indian title on the Ala- 
bama ; in harbouring the pirates of Barataria ; in dis- 
regarding and violating their treaties ; and he pointed 
out the danger to which the restoration of peace in 
Europe might shortly expose them. 

He was as yet ignorant of the energy of the man 
already near his borders, and who, to march against 
and break down his fancied securities, did not desire 
to be ordered, but only to be apprised by his country 
that he was at liberty to do it. Jackson determined 
again to address him, and to close the correspondence 
by exhibiting fully the grounds of complaint and accu- 
sation against him, in a style at least as courtly as his 
own. He accordingly despatched to him the following 
letter. 

" Were I clothed," he remarks, " with diplomatic 
power for the purpose of discussing the topics em- 
braced in the wide range of injuries of which you com- 
plain, and which have long since been adjusted, I could 
easily demonstrate that the United States have been 
always faithful to their treaties, steadfast in their 
friendships, nor have ever claimed anything that was 
not warranted by justice. They have endured many 
insults from the governors and other officers of Spain, 
which, if sanctioned by their sovereign, amounted to 
acts of war, without any previous declaration on the 



LETTER TO THE SPANISH GOVERNOR. 245 

subject. They have excited the savages to war, and 
afforded them the means of waging it : the property 
of our citizens has been captured at sea, and if com- 
pensation has not been refused, it has at least been 
withheld. But, as no such powers have been delegated 
to me, I shall not assume them, but leave them to the 
representatives of our respective governments. 

" I have the honour of being intrusted with the 
command of this district. Charged with its protection 
and the safety of its citizens, I feel my ability to dis- 
charge the task, and trust your excellency will always 
find me ready and willing to go forward in the per- 
formance of that duty, whenever circumstances shall 
render it necessary. I agree with you, perfectly, that 
candour and polite language should, at all times, 
characterize the communications between the officers 
of friendly sovereignties ; and I assert, without the 
fear of contradiction, that my former letters were 
couched in terms the most respectful and unexception- 
able. I only requested, and did not demand, as you 
have asserted, the ringleaders of the Creek confede- 
racy, who had taken refuge in your town, and who 
had violated all laws, moral, civil, and divine. This I 
had a right to do, from the treaty which I sent you, 
and which I now again enclose, with a request that 
you will change your translation, believing, as I do, 
that your former one was wrong, and has deceived 
you. What kind of an answer you returned, a refer- 
ence to your letter will explain. The whole of it 
breathed nothing but hostility, grounded upon assumed 
facts and false charges, and entirely evading the in- 
quiries that had been made. 



246 PENS AC OLA. 

" I can but express my astonishment at your protest 
against the cession on the Alabama, lying within the 
acknowledged jurisdiction of the United States, and 
which has been ratified in due form by the principal 
chiefs and warriors of the nation. But my astonish- 
ment subsides, when, on comparing it, I find it upon a 
par w ith the rest of your letter and conduct ; taken 
together, they aflford a sufficient justification for any 
consequences that may ensue. My government will 
protect every inch of her territory, her citizens, and 
their property, from insult and depredation, regardless 
of the political revolutions of Europe : and although 
she has been at all times sedulous to preserve a good 
understanding with all the world, yet she has sacred 
rights that cannot be trampled upon with impunity. 
Spain had better look to her own intestine commo- 
tions, before she walks forth in that majesty of 
strength and power which you threaten to draw upon 
the United States. 

" Your excellency has been candid enough to 
admit your having supplied the Indians with arms. In 
addition to this, I have learned that a British flag has 
been seen flying over one of your forts. All this is done 
whilst you are pretending to be neutral. You cannot 
be surprised, then, but on the contrary w ill provide a 
fort in your town for my soldiers and Indians, should 
I take it in my head to pay you a visit. 

" In future, I beg you withhold your insulting 
charges against my government, for one more inclined 
to hsten to slander than I am ; nor consider me any 
more as a diplomatic character, unless as proclaimed 
to you from the mouths of my cannon." 



ARRIVAL OF THE BRITISH. 



247 




Arrival of British ships at Peiisacola. 



On the 25th of August, three British ships of war 
arrived at Pensacola, and garrisoned the fort at that 
place with three hundred men. At the same time a 
large quantity of arms and munitions of war were de- 
posited there, the whole destined for the use of a large 
armament which the British were preparing in the 
West Indies for the conquest of the Mississippi val- 
ley. Colonel Nicholls, the British commander, issued 
the following audacious address to the people of 
Louisiana and Kentucky. 

" Natives of Louisiana ! — On you the first call is 
made to assist in liberating from a faithless, imbecile 
government, your paternal soil. Spaniards, French- 
men, Italians, and British, whether settled, or residing 
for a time in Louisiana, on you also I call to aid me 
in this just cause. The American usurpation in this 
country must be abolished, and the lawful owners of 
the soil put in possession. I am at the head of a large 



248 PENSACOLA. 

body of Indians, well armed, disciplined, and com- 
manded by British officers — a good train of artillery, 
with every requisite, seconded by the powerful aid of 
a numerous British and Spanish squadron of ships 
and vessels of war. Be not alarmed, inhabitants of 
the country, at our approach : the same good faith 
and disinterestedness, which has distinguished the 
conduct of Britons in Europe, accompanies them here; 
you will have no fear of litigious taxes imposed on 
you for the purpose of carrying on an unnatural and 
unjust war ; your property, your laws, the peace and 
tranquillity of your country, will be guarantied to you 
by men who will suffer no infringement of theirs. 
Rest assured that these brave red men only burn with 
an ardent desire of satisfaction for the wrongs they 
have suffered from the Americans ; to join you in libe- 
rating these southern provinces from their yoke, and 
drive them into those limits formerly prescribed by 
my sovereign. The Indians have pledged themselves 
in the most solemn manner not to injure in the slight- 
est degree the persons or property of any but enemies. 
A flag over any door, whether Spanish, French, or 
British, will be a certain protection : nor dare any In- 
dian put his foot on the threshold thereof, under 
penalty of death from his own countrymen : not even 
an enemy will an Indian put to death, except resisting 
in arms ; and as for injuring helpless women and chil- 
dren, the red men, by their good conduct and treat- 
ment to them, will, (if it be possible,) make the 
Americans blush for their more inhuman conduct 
lately on the Escambia, and within a neutral territory. 
Inhabitants of Kentucky ! you have too long borne 



NICHOLLS' PROCLAMATION. 249 

with grievous impositions — the whole brunt of the war 
has fallen on your brave sons : be imposed on no 
longer ; but either range yourselves under the standard 
of your forefathers, or observe a strict neutrality. If 
you comply with either of these offers, whatever provi- 
sions you send down, will be paid for in dollars, and 
the safety of the persons bringing it, as well as the free 
navigation of the Mississippi, guarantied to you. 
Men of Kentucky ! let me call to your view (and I 
trust to your abhorrence) the conduct of those factions 
which hurried you into this civil, unjust, and unnatural 
war, at a time when Great Britain was straining every 
nerve in defence of her own, and the liberties of the 
world — when the bravest of her sons were fighting 
and bleeding in so sacred a cause — when she was spend- 
ing millions of her treasure in endeavouring to pull 
down one of the most formidable and dangerous ty- 
rants that ever disgraced the form of man — when 
groaning Europe was almost at her last gasp — when 
Britons alone showed an undaunted front, — basely did 
these assassins endeavour to stab her from the rear ; 
she has turned on them, renovated from the bloody, 
but successful struggle ; Europe is happy and free, 
and she now hastens, justly to revenge the unprovoked 
insult. Show them that you are not collectively un- 
just; leave that contemptible few to shift for them- 
selves : let those slaves of the tyrant send an embassy 
to Elba, and implore his aid ; but let every honest, 
upright American spurn them wdth united contempt. 
After the experience of twenty-one years, can you 
longer support these brawlers for liberty, who call it 
freedom when themselves are free? Be no longer 



250 PENSACOLA. 

their dupes, — accept of my offers — everything I have 
promised in this paper I guaranty to you on the 
sacred honour of a British officer. Given under my 
hand, at my head quarters, Pensacola, this 29th day 
of August, 1814. 

"Edward Nicholls." 

The sacred honour of a British officer ! Coming, 
as he says, " at the head of a large body of savages" 
to " free the people of America from litigious taxes,''^ 
while the people of England were at the very moment 
paying enormous taxes to support him and his family. 
However, here is this man of " sacred honour" telling 
the Americans that his " head quarters" are at Pensa- 
cola, though the Spaniard pleaded his neutrality. 

Immediately on seeing this proclamation, General 
Jackson again urged on the government the reduction 
of Pensacola. In one of his letters he says : — 

" How long will the United States pocket the re- 
proach and open insults of Spain ? It is alone by a 
manly and dignified course that we can secure respect 
from other nations and peace to our own. Tempori- 
zing policy is not only a disgrace, but a curse to any 
nation. It is a fact that a British captain of marines 
is and has been for some time en^ao-ed in drilling and 

So o 

organizing the fugitive Creeks, under the eye of the 
governor ; endeavouring by his influence and presents 
to draw to his standard as well the peaceable as hos- 
tile Indians. If permission had been given me to 
march against this place twenty days ago, I would 
ere this have planted there the American Eagle ; now 
we must trust alone to our valour, and the justice of 



ATTACK ON FORT BOWYER. 251 

our cause. But my present resources are so limited, 
— a sickly climate as well as an enemy to contend 
with, and without the means of transportation to 
change the position of my army, that, resting on the 
bravery of my little phalanx, I can only hope for 
success." 

As soon as his business at Fort Jackson was com- 
pleted he set out for Mobile, to place the country in a 
state of defence. The third regiment, a part of the 
forty-fourth and thirty-ninth, was all the regular force 
he could at this time command. There were now so 
many signs of an early visit from the enemy, that 
Jackson wrote to his adjutant-colonel, Butler, and 
ordered him to hasten forward with all the volunteers 
he could procure, and join him without delay. The 
order reached Nashville on the 9th of September, and 
by the 28th, General Coffee commenced his march for 
Mobile, at the head of two thousand volunteers ; while 
Colonel Butler, with the greatest activity, hastened to 
meet and push on the militia under Colonel Lowery. 

Nicholls had waited about two weeks, that his pro- 
clamation might take effectual hold and prepare the 
inhabitants to open their bosoms to receive him, when 
this delivering hero, aided by his Indian and Spanish 
allies, set out to ascertain the effect it had wrought. 
His first visit was to Fort Bowyer, situated on the 
extreme end of a narrow neck of land about eighteen 
miles below the head of Mobile bay, and commanding 
the entrance. The fort was defended by Major Law- 
rence of the United States infantry, with one hundred 
and thirty men. The attacking force consisted of two 
ships and two brigs, under the command of Captain 
35 



252 



PENSACOLA. 




Attack on Fort Bowyer. 



Percy. They arrived off Mobile Point on the 15th of 
September, and commenced a heavy cannonade. 
Three hundred British and Indians were landed, who 
erected a battery in the rear of the fort ; but they were 
driven off by the fire of the garrison. The cannon- 
ading continued during the day with great fury, the 
British suffering much from the fire of the fort. At 
evening one ship and the brigs abandoned their posi- 
tion. The Hermes, the commodore's ship, had her cable 
carried away, and drifted upon the shoals, where she 
was exposed to the whole fire of the fort. Her re- 
moval being impossible, her crew set fire to her, and 
went on board the other vessels. The Hermes soon 
blew up, and, on the next day, the squadron returned to 
Pensacola. This repulse produced great chagrin and 
disappointment among the British, who had confidently 



JACKSON'S PROCLAMATION. 253 

expected to capture the fort. That object attained, 
Mobile would have been in their power, and an effectual 
diversion made in favour of the army destined to ope- 
rate against New Orleans. The result of the attempt 
destroyed these brilliant expectations, and inspired the 
American soldiers with that confidence in themselves 
so indispensable to success. The fears which many 
had entertained of the prowess of the so-called invin- 
cible heroes of the Peninsula, gave place to an enthusi- 
astic desire to meet and beat them in the field. The 
loss of the British in this attack was two hundred and 
thirty-two men killed and wounded ; that of the Ame- 
ricans was four killed and four wounded. 

" On the 17th General Jackson wrote a compli- 
mentary letter to Major Lawrence, expressive of the 
joy he felt on hearing of the glorious defence made by 
the garrison under his command, and acquainting him 
that he had despatched information of it to the general 
government, who would not fail duly to reward the 
brave defenders of the rights and honour of the Ame- 
rican people."* 

On the 21st of September Jackson issued the fol- 
lowing proclamation to the people of Louisiana : — 

" Louisianians ! The base, the perfidious Britons 
have attempted to invade your country — they had the 
temerity to attack Fort Bowyer with their incongruous 
horde of Indians and negro assassins — they seemed to 
have forgotten that this fort was defended by freemen 
— they were not long indulged in their error — the 
gallant Lawrence, with his little Spartan band, has 

* Latour. 



254 PENSACOLA. 

given them a lecture that will last for ai^es ; he has 
taught them what men can do when fighting for their 
hberty, when contending against slaves. He has con- 
vinced Sir W. H. Percy that his companions in arms 
are not to be conquered by proclamations ; that the 
strongest British bark is not invulnerable to the force 
of American artillery, directed by the steady, nervous 
arm of a freeman. 

" Louisianians ! The proud Briton, the natural and 
sworn enemy of all Frenchmen, has called upon you, 
by proclamation, to aid him in his tyranny, and to 
prostrate the holy temple of our hberty. Can Louisi- 
anians, can Frenchmen, can Americans, ever stoop to 
be the slaves or allies of Britain ? 

" The proud, vain-glorious boaster. Colonel Ni- 
cholls, when he addressed you, Louisianians and Ken- 
tuckians, had forgotten that you were the votaries of 
freedom, or he would never have pledged the honour 
of a British officer for the faithful performance of his 
promise, to lure you from your fidelity to the govern- 
ment of your choice. I ask you, Louisianians, can 
we place any confidence in the honour of men who 
have courted an alliance with pirates and robbers? 
Have not these noble Britons, these honourable men, 
Colonel Nicholls and the honourable Captain W. H. 
Percy, the true representatives of their royal master, 
done this ? Have they not made offers to the pirates 
of Barataria to join them and their holy cause ? And 
have they not dared to insult you by calling on you to 
associate as brethren with them and this piratical 
banditti ? 

" Louisianians ! The government of your choice is 



JACKSON'S PROCLAMATION. 255 

eno-aged in a just and honourable contest for the secu- 
rity of your individual and her national rights — on 
you, a part of America, the only country on earth 
where every nnan enjoys freedom — where its blessings 
are alike extended to the poor and the rich — she calls 
to protect these rights from the invading usurpation 
of Britain ; and she calls not in vain. I well know 
that every man whose soul beats high at the proud 
title of freeman ; that every Louisianian, either by 
birth or adoption, will promptly obey the voice of his 
country, will rally round the eagle of Columbia, secure 
it from the pending danger, or nobly die in the last 
ditch in its defence. 

" The individual who refuses to defend his rights, 
when called upon by his government, deserves to be a 
slave, and must be punished as an enemy to his coun- 
try, and a friend to her foe. 

" The undersigned has been intrusted with the de- 
fence of your country — on you he relies to aid him in 
this important duty ; in this reliance he hopes not to 
be mistaken. He trusts in the justice of his cause 
and the patriotism of his countrymen — confident that 
any further attempt to invade our soil will be repelled 
as the last, he calls not on either pirates or robbers to 
join him in the glorious cause. 

" Your governor has been fully authorized to or- 
ganize any volunteer company, battalion, or regiment 
which may proffer its services under this call, and is 
informed of their probable destination." 

The expected reinforcements from Tennessee hav- 
ing arrived about the middle of October, General 
Jackson determined to proceed immediately against 



256 PENSACOLA. 

Pensacola. Jackson and his government had ever 
viewed this expedition in very different lights: they 
were not wilHng to risk a contest with Spain, for the 
sake of removing what they considered an inconsider- 
able injury : he thought it of more serious import, and 
did not believe it could afford even a pretext for rup- 
ture between the two nations. If Spain through her 
agents permitted and encouraged a power with whom 
she was at peace to be thus harassed and annoyed, she 
deserved to be placed in the list of enemies, and treat- 
ed accordingly. If, however. Great Britain, taking 
advantage of the defenceless state of her province, 
claimed free egress in exclusion of her authority, she 
could have no well-founded cause of complaint against 
the injured power, which should hold it until such 
time as by bringing a sufficient force she might be in 
a situation to support her neutrality, and enforce obe- 
dience to her laws. Upon either ground he believed 
it might be sufficiently justified. There was one, how- 
ever, on which it could be placed, where he well knew 
nothing could result beyond his own injury; and on 
this issue he was willing to trust it. If any complaint 
should be made, his government having never extended 
to him an authority, might with propriety disavow the 
act ; and by exposing him to censure and punishment, 
it would be an atonement for the outrage, and Spain 
in justice could demand no more. The attack on 
Fort Bowyer was a confirmation of his previous con- 
jectures as to the views of the enemy ; and from that 
moment he determined to advance against and reduce 
Pensacola, throw a sufficient force into the Barrancas, 
hold it until the principles of right and neutrality were 



ATTACK ON PENSACOLA. 25*7 

better respected, and rest the measure on his own re- 
sponsibihty. Beheving this to be the only course that 
could assure ultimate security, he had awaited only 
the arrival of General Coffee to execute his intentions. 
On the 26th of October, he visited Coffee's camp, 
above Fort St. Stephen's, and concerted the plan of 
action. Coffee's brigade had been strengthened by 
accessions received during the march, augmenting his 
numbers to twenty-eight hundred men. The scarcity 
of forage on the route to Pensacola rendered it neces- 
sary for the forces to proceed thither on foot. One 
thousand men from Coffee's brigade were accordingly 
dismounted, and being united with the regular forces, 
the Mississippi dragoons, and a small party of Choctaw 
Indians, formed an army of about three thousand men. 
On the 2d of November, Jackson commenced his 
march, and arrived before Pensacola on the 6th, 
without having met with any opposition. The town 
and forts were found to be prepared for defence ; the 
former was defended by batteries erected in the streets, 
and the broadsides of the British fleet, which com- 
manded the principal entrance. Wishing to avoid 
violence, if possible, Jackson sent Major Pierre, of 
the forty-fourth regiment, under the protection of a 
flag, to communicate with the governor, and ascertain 
whether that functionary was willing to make the ne- 
cessary reparation for his treacherous conduct, by 
surrendering the refugees, and compelling the British 
to quit his territory. He was also directed to require 
the surrender of the town and forts, to be held by the 
United States until Spain should be able to preserve 
her neutrality. 
2k 



258 PENSACOLA. 

On approaching Fort St. Michael, on the walls of 
which floated the standard of Spain, he was fired at 
by the garrison, and compelled to retire, without ac- 
complishing his object. This outrage was sufficient 
to have justified General Jackson in taking the most 
violent measures to obtain redress : but he resolved to 
make one more effort to settle the matter amicably. 
He wrote a letter to the governor, demanding the 
reason of the insult oflfered to his flajr, and invitino" 
him to open a negotiation. This he sent by a Spanish 
corporal, who had fallen into his hands on the previous 
day. The governor replied that the act of firing upon 
the flag had been committed by the British, against 
his wishes ; and that he would willingly adjust the dif- 
ferences by pacific means. Jackson accordingly re- 
peated his demand for the surrender of the forts, 
engaging to restore them to the Spanish authorities 
as soon as they should be sufficiently powerful to pro- 
tect themselves against the aggressions of the British. 
In his communication to the governor he remarked — 

"I come not as the enemy of Spain ; not to make 
war, but to ask for peace ; to demand security for my 
country, and that respect to which she is entitled and 
shall receive. My force is sufficient, and my determi- 
nation taken, to prevent a future repetition of the inju- 
ries she has received. I demand, therefore, the pos- 
session of the Barrancas, and other fortifications, with 
all your munitions of war. If delivered peaceably, the 
whole shall be receipted for, and become the subject 
of future arrangement, by our respective governments; 
while the property, laws, and religion of your citizens 
will be respected. But if taken by an appeal to arms, 



STORMING OF THE SPANISH BATTERY. 259 

let the blood of your subjects be upon your own head, 
I will not hold myself responsible for the conduct of 
my enraged soldiers. One hour is given you for deli- 
beration, when your determination must be had." 

The governor summoned his officers to consider 
the demands of the American general, and they were 
declared inadmissible. Jackson then prepared to 
execute his threat. At an early hour on the morning 
of the 7th of November he put his army in motion, 
and proceeded towards the town. The British and 
Spaniards expected that his approach would be made 
upon the main road, and the guns of the squadron 
were accordingly brought to bear upon that entrance. 
To keep up this persuasion, five hundred mounted men 
were ordered to proceed along the road, appearing to 
be the advance of the army, while General Jackson 
with the main body made a partial circuit and ap- 
proached on the beach at the east side. The advance 
was composed of one company of the third regiment, 
led by Captain Laval. The remainder of the regular 
troops formed the centre ; on the right were the Mis- 
sissippi dragoons and Choctaws, on the left Coffee's 
mounted and dismounted volunteers. The troops en- 
tered the town at a quick pace, and proceeded along 
the street, where they found a battery defended by 
Spanish soldiers. Captain Laval was severely wound- 
ed by the enemy's fire, which proceeded from the bat- 
tery, the houses, fences, and every point which afforded 
any protection. Notwithstanding his fall, his company 
rushed forward, carried the battery, and drove the 
Spanish troops from all their positions. The governor, 
terrified at the defeat of his troops, came forward with 
36 



260 PENSACOLA. 

a flag of truce, and offered to comply with the de- 
mands of Jackson without further resistance. The 
firing was accordingly stopped, on condition that the 
forts should be immediately surrendered. But when 
the American officers demanded possession of Fort 
St. Michael, they were refused, and the guns of the 
fort discharged, wounding two men. Enraged at this 
treachery, Jacks*on ordered the place to be stormed, 
and the garrison put to the sword ; when the Spaniards, 
perceiving the impossibility of successful resistance, 
surrendered. 

The Barrancas, commanding the entrance to the 
harbour, being situated six miles from the town, and 
night having nearly closed in, it was determined to 
defer taking possession of it until the next morr'ng. 
Early in the morning the men were drawn out for the 
purpose of proceeding to the fort, when three loud 
reports told the unfortunate consequences of the delay. 
Foreseeing that the capture of the post was inevitable, 
the British had prevailed upon the garrison to destroy 
it, that the Americans might not be able to impede the 
escape of the squadron from the harbour. 

Major Gales, who was sent with two hundred men 
to ascertain the extent of the damage, found the forti- 
fications destroyed, and all the guns but two spiked. 
The British had all retreated to their ships and left the 
harbour, and the hostile Indians dispersed at the ap- 
proach of the American forces. 

The destruction of the Barrancas made a consid- 
erable change in the plans of General Jackson. The 
importance of Pensacola as a rendezvous to the British 
was very much diminished by this event, and the loss 



JACKSON EVACUATES PENSACOLA. 261 



-^.'^-^^\m'r^'/lK...-^^ 




Retreat of the British from Pensacola on the appr(iach of Jackson. 



of the principal means of defence rendered its main- 
tenance by the Americans extremely hazardous. 
Other reasons combined to induce a change in the 
designs of the general. The Spaniards had been 
taught a lesson which would probably operate to re- 
strain them from affording further assistance to the 
British : and the departure of the latter excited ap- 
prehensions that they might again return to Fort 
Bowyer, and make another attack upon that impor- 
tant, though weakly defended post. Jackson therefore 
resolved to evacuate Pensacola, and take a position 
whence he would be able to strike a blow at the enemy, 
whenever occasion should offer. On the 9th of No- 
vember, he restored the town and forts to the Spaniards, 
and took up the line of march for Mobile. The loss 



262 



PENSACOLA. 




Landing of Creeks. 



suffered by the American forces in the expedition 
against Pensacola was astonishingly small. Not a 
man was killed, and but fifteen or twenty wounded. 
Among the latter were Captain Laval, and Lieutenant 
Flournoy, who lost one of his legs by the fire of the 
Spanish battery. Captain Laval was left at Pensacola, 
where he received every attention from the governor. 
The hostile Creeks, who had assembled in con- 
siderable numbers at Pensacola, and who had dis- 
persed at the appearance of General Jackson, had 
chiefly taken refuge on board of the British fleet, which 
conveyed them to the Apalachicola river, where they 
were landed, and furnished with the means of defence. 
Jackson, aware of the importance of destroying their 
strength before they were able to commit any further 
ravages upon the Americans, sent Major Blue, of the 
thirty-ninth regiment, at the head of one thousand 
mounted men, to demolish their towns, and effectually 



PENSACOLA AND TOULON. 263 

break their organization. This service being performed, 
he was ordered to return to Mobile. 

To the capture of Pensacola by Jackson, " we find 
a corresponding measure in the history of his great 
contemporary in arms, the emperor of the French. 
At Toulon, Napoleon Buonaparte, who was then only 
a lieutenant of artillery, assumed the authority of act- 
ing against orders proclaimed by his superiors, and 
which, in his own language, had he failed ' would have 
forfeited his head.' Although General Jackson did 
not disobey orders, as was the fact with Buonaparte, 
still he entered a neutral town, relying on his know- 
ledge that Pensacola had forfeited all the rights of 
neutrality ; and in this he risked his fame and reputa- 
tion, if not his life. In the two cases there is a parallel, 
which shows that a truly great mind is not narrowed 
down and confined to those limits which the law in 
all its potency is pleased to circumscribe. There are 
times when the necessity of the crisis (of which a 
commanding general should judge) sweeps away the 
barriers which the law has established for ordinary 
life, as though they were but cobwebs in the place of 
legal fetters ; and there are times, too, when the con- 
duct of a commander could not be sustained unless he 
violated the law\ The cases of Toulon and Pensacola 
are in point ; and although the responsibility be great, 
still the stretch of mind and the depth of intellect must 
fathom it." * 

* Wright's Eulogy. 




Jackson in 1815, from a portrait by Sully. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



NEW ORLEANS — BATTLE OF THE TWENTY-THIRD 
OF DECEMBER. 

HE general peace which 
had been concluded among 
the powers of Europe in 
April, 1814, and which had 
resulted in consigning Na- 
poleon to Elba, enabled 
England to concentrate her 
whole military and naval 
power upon our shores. In addition to the warlike 
movements on our northern and western frontiers, the 
whole line of our seaboard was invaded at various 




DESIGNS OF THE BRITISH. 265 

points, from the Passamaquoddy to the Mississippi. 
Baltimore was attacked — Havre de Grace was burned 
— Alexandria was pillaged, and our National Capitol 
itself was destroyed ! The Senate Chamber and the 
Hall of Representatives — the President's House and 
the buildings for the heads of departments — the library 
of the nation and the records of the government — the 
works of science and the labours of art — were all in- 
volved in one general conflagration by the torch of 
the invading foe ! And the disciplined Vandals of 
Europe, who had perpetrated these outrages, together 
with an inmiense swarm from the same hive, by the 
way of the West Indies, were advancing upon New 
Orleans, with a watchword that proclaimed to a brutal 
soldiery that the wealth of the city, and the wives and 
daughters of its inhabitants, should be given up to the 
ravaging cupidity and despoihng lust of the victors.* 

General Jackson was at first uncertain with respect 
to the precise point of attack ; but he soon saw that 
the city of New Orleans, from its wealth, its important 
position, its exposed situation, and the reported disaf- 
fection of a large part of its population, would be se- 
lected as the point of attack. Information received 
by the general during the progress of the operations 
in Florida, had represented the West Indian arma- 
ment to be in a state of forwardness which indicated 
an early attack. As soon, therefore, as he had pro- 
vided for the security of Mobile, he determined to 
proceed to the capital of Louisiana. The fact that 
there was no general officer in the United States ser- 

* Lewis's Eulogy. 
37 



266 NEW ORLEANS. 

vice in his district to whom he could commit the 
command of the eastern portion of it, delayed his 
journey for a time. On the 22d of November, how- 
ever, Britjadier-General Winchester arrived in the 
Alabama, and Jackson started for New Orleans. Ge- 
neral Coffee, and Colonel Hinds of the Mississippi dra- 
goons, were ordered to proceed to a point near to the 
city, where they could be ready to march to its defence 
at the shortest notice. On the 1st of December Gene- 
ral Jackson arrived in the city, which he found wholly 
unprepared for defence, and many of its inhabitants, 
including not a few high in office, disinclined to assist 
him in his efforts to protect it. Fortunately, in Go- 
vernor Claiborne, the executive of Louisiana, Jackson 
possessed a devoted and efficient auxiliary, who imme- 
diately entered upon his arduous task with a deter- 
mination that want of success should not be owing to 
any dereliction on his part. 

The attention of the general had been directed to 
the condition of New Orleans ever since his appoint- 
ment to the command of the military district in which 
it was situated. The difficulties which presented 
themselves to the successful defence of this important 
point, would have filled with despair a mind less vigor- 
ous and self-confident. The principal of these were, 
the disaffection which was too rife among the popula- 
tion, the facility of access to the city, and the absence 
of sufficient forces to defend it. Louisiana, at the 
time of its purchase by the United States, only three 
years previously, was peopled almost exclusively by 
Frenchmen and their descendants. A much smaller 
number of Spaniards, and a very few of English or 



DISAFFECTION OF THE INHABITANTS. 267 

American descent, completed the number. After it 
became a member of the American union, the Anglo- 
American population became more numerous ; but at 
the time of which we speak, they were far inferior in 
number to the French. Besides the classes we have 
enumerated, there were very many foreigners of other 
nations, among whom were numerous subjects of the 
British crown, whom the desire of gain had drawn 
thither. But a small portion of the whole number of 
inhabitants had been born on the soil ; and it could 
scarcely be expected that those whose first breath had 
been drawn in foreign lands, whose every association 
was repugnant to American habits, and whose preju- 
dices were against the peculiar institutions of the 
country in which they lived, would be willing to peril 
their lives in support of them. But the disaffection 
of many of the inhabitants of Louisiana was not 
merely a vision of the imagination. Facts which 
could not be misunderstood came to the knowledge 
of General Jackson, proving that there were many in 
the state who would not only refuse to aid in its de- 
fence, but would even be willing to aid the enemy that 
threatened it with all the horrors of a hostile invasion. 
It was by this class that information was constantly 
conveyed to the British of the movements, and, as far 
as was possible, of the intentions of the American 
general. To prevent this, Jackson at an early period 
prohibited all communication between Pensacola and 
New Orleans ; but he was never able to prevent the 
enemy from receiving accurate intelligence of every 
event of importance which transpired in the city or 
camp. 



268 NEW ORLEANS. 

It must not be supposed from these remarks that 
the French inhabitants of Louisiana refused to respond 
to the caU of tlie country in the hour of her peril. The 
great body of that class, which comprised the oldest 
and wealthiest families in the state, entered warmlv 
into the measures taken by the military and civil au- 
thorities to preserve the integrity of their territory. 

On the 15th of September, shortly after the hostile 
designs of the British government upon Louisiana be- 
came known, a meeting of the citizens of New Orleans 
was held, who resolved to support to the extent of 
their ability the authority of the government, and the 
lionour of the American arms. A committee of safety 
was appointed to co-operate with and assist the go- 
vernor in the execution of such measures as might 
be deemed expedient for the defence of the city. This 
committee addressed their fellow-citizens in the fol- 
lowing patriotic strain : 

" Fellow-Citizens ! Named by a numerous assembly 
of the citizens of New Orleans to aid the constituted 
authorities in devising the most certain means of 
guarding against the dangers which threatened you, 
our first duty is to apprise you of the extent of those 
dangers. Your open enemy is attacking you from 
without, and by means of his vile agents dispersed 
through the country, endeavours to excite to insurrec- 
tion a more cruel and dangerous one in the midst 
of you. 

"Fellow-Citizens! The most perfect union is neces- 
sary among all the individuals which compose our 
community ; all have an equal interest in yielding a 
full and free obedience to their magistrates and officers. 




^m^ 



.mi;>^:m>':^>ms$m*i^sgmmsmmmmms^^^m^m^mM o ss$ss5?s^>?~ 



X 



ADDRESS OF THE COMMITTEE. 269 

and in forwarding their views for the pubUc good — all 
have not only their property, but their very existence 
at stake ; you have, through your representatives in 
the convention, contracted the solemn obligation of 
becoming an integral part of the United States of 
America ; by this measure you secured your own so- 
vereignty, and acquired the invaluable blessing of in- 
dependence. God forbid that we should believe that 
there are any among us disposed to fail in the sacred 
duties required by fidelity and honour. A just idea 
of the geographical situation of your country will con- 
vince you that your safety, and in a greater degree 
your prosperity, depends on your being irrevocably 
and faithfully attached to a union with the other states ; 
but if there exist among you men base and mad enough 
to undervalue their duties and their true interest — let 
them tremble on considering the dreadful evils they 
will bring down upon themselves and upon us, if by 
their criminal indifference they favour the enterprises 
of the enemy against our beloved country. 

" Fellow-citizens! The navigation of the Mississippi 
is as necessary to two millions of our western brethren, 
as the blood is to the pulsation of the heart — those 
brave men closely attached to the union, will never 
suffer, whatever seducing offers may be made to them 
— they will never suffer the state of Louisiana to be 
subject to a foreign power; and should the events of 
war enable the enemy to occupy it, they will make 
every sacrifice to recover a country so necessary to 
their existence. A war ruinous to you would be the 
consequence ; the enemy to whom you would have had 
the weakness to yield, would subject you to a military 



2?9 NEW ORLEANS. 

despotism, of all others the most dreadful ; your es- 
tates, your slaves, your persons would be put in requi- 
sition, and you would be forced at the point of the 
bayonet to light against those very men whom you 
have voluntarily chosen for fellow-citizens and brethren. 
Beloved countrymen : listen to the men honoured by 
vour confidence, and who will endeavour to merit it ; 
listen to the voice of honour, of duty, and of nature ; 
unite ! form one body, one soul, and defend to the 
last extremity your sovereignty, your property — de- 
fend your own lives, and the dearer existence of your 
wives and children." 

Notwithstanding this appeal from some of the 
oldest and most influential citizens ; notwithstandino; 
every exertion of the governor ; a large part of the 
population refused to enter the ranks, or contribute in 
any way to the defence of the state. Governor Clai- 
borne, with whom Jackson maintained a constant cor- 
respondence, saw clearly the extent of the evil, and 
used all his influence to engage his fellow-citizens on 
the side of their country. On the 8th of September, 
previous to the meeting which we have mentioned, he 
issued a general order, directing the military compa- 
nies of the city to be mustered for inspection and 
exercise twice, and those in the country at least once in 
each week. Having recapitulated the evident indica- 
tions of an invasion, he exhorted every citizen to be pre- 
pared and determined at all times and at every hazard 
to do his duty. The militia were particularly enjoined 
to look to the condition of their arms, and to provide 
themselves with ammunition and the necessary camp 
clothing; and all were ordered to communicate to 



CLAIBORNE'S ORDER. 271 

their superior officers every information concerning 
the movements or designs of foreign or domestic 
enemies. " The intrigues," proceeded the order, " the 
means of corruption by which in other countries our 
enemy has so much profited, will doubtless be at- 
tempted here. But his character is well understood, 
and it is hoped that his arts will not avail him. In 
defence of our homes and families there surely will be 
but one opinion — one sentiment. The American 
citizen, on contrasting his situation with that of the 
citizen or subject of any other country on earth, will 
see abundant cause to be content with his destiny. 
He must be aware how little he can gain and how 
much he must lose by a revolution or a change of 
government." 

The drafts which were made upon the militia were 
very scantily supplied ; many individuals refusing to 
serve after having been drafted. Many Frenchmen, 
having given their adhesion to Louis XVIII., refused 
to comply with the requisitions of the governor, and 
claimed the protection of the French consul. Not- 
withstanding these defections, however, there still re- 
mained a number of loyal citizens, who obeyed with 
alacrity the call of the governor, and enrolled them- 
selves in military companies. The free men of colour, 
a numerous class in New Orleans, the greater part of 
whom were natives of St. Domingo, manifested a warm 
attachment to their adopted country. Being informed 
of the favourable dispositions of this class. General 
Jackson issued a proclamation on the 21st of Septem- 
ber, calling upon them, as sons of freedom, to defend 
this, their most inestimable blessing. " As Ameri- 
38 



272 NEW ORLEANS. 

cans," he continues, " your country looks with confi- 
dence to her adopted children for a valorous support, 
as a faithful return for the advantages enjoyed under 
her mild and equitable government. As fathers, hus- 
bands, and brothers, you are summoned to rally round 
the standard of the eagle, to defend all which is dear 
in existence." * =* * " Due regard will be paid to 
the feelings of freemen and soldiers. You will not, 
by being associated with white men in the same corps, 
be exposed to improper comparisons or unjust sar- 
casm. As a distinct, independent battalion or regi- 
ment, pursuing the path of glory, you will, undivided, 
receive the applause and gratitude of your country- 
men." A battalion was formed pursuant to this pro- 
clamation, and placed under the command of Major 
Daquin, a highly respectable citizen of New Orleans. 
This corps formed an efficient part of General Jack- 
son's army, and distinguished itself highly in the 
actions of the 23d of December and 8th of January. 
That the exposed situation of New Orleans may 
be rendered perfectly intelligible, we will give a short 
description of the geography of the city and vicinity. 
New Orleans is built upon a low piece of ground, on 
the north side of the river Mississippi, about one hun- 
dred miles from its mouths. The course of the river 
below New Orleans is nearly southeast, flowing 
through a low country, nmch of which is swampy 
and covered with cypress trees. Notwithstanding its 
distance from the mouth of the river. New Orleans is 
far from being an inland town, being approached 
within thirteen miles on the eastward by an arju of 
the sea called Lake Borgne. This lake is of consi- 



GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION. 273 

derable extent, but too shallow to permit the entrance 
of large vessels. To the northwest of Lake Borgne, 
and communicating with it, is Lake Pontchartrain, 
which extends some distance beyond the city. These 
lakes are connected by a narrow passage about four 
miles long, called the Chef-Menteur. The narrowest 
part of this passage was defended by the fort of Pe- 
tites Coquilles. Near the western extremity of Lake 
Borgne it is joined by a small river, called the Bayou 
Bienvenu, which drains the basin immediately below 
the city. This bayou communicated with a canal 
passing through the plantation of Major-General Vil- 
lere to the Mississippi. Stretching from the entrance 
of Lake Borgne to the opening of Mobile bay, is a 
chain of small islands. The westernmost of these is 
called Cat Island. Ship Island, Dog Island, the Isle a 
Corne, and Dauphine Island, are the principal in the 
chain. The latter is situated near the mouth of Mo- 
bile bay, and was the rendezvous of the British after 
the campaign against New Orleans. 

The geographical situation of the city thus offered 
two avenues for the approach of an enemy : the river 
Mississippi, and the lakes Borgne and Pontchartrain. 
For the defence of the river a fort had been erected 
by the French at the Balize ; but it had long since 
fallen into ruins. At the Detour Plaquemines, sixty 
miles below the city, was a work called Fort St. Philip, 
which was wholly insufficient for the defence of the 
stream ; but which might with little labour be rendered 
almost impassable to a hostile armament. On the 
right bank of the river, opposite Fort St. Philip, there 
had formerly been a fortification named Fort Bourbon ,• 



274 NEW ORLEANS. 

but it also was in ruins. Before the departure of 
General Jackson from Mobile, he had directed Colonel 
Hayne, the inspector-general, to ascertain the state 
of the river defences, and where effectual resistance 
could be made. The colonel reported that the re-es- 
tablishment of the post at the Balize would be useless, 
as it would not command the river sufficiently to pre- 
vent the passage of an enemy's fleet ; but that Fort 
St. Philip affbrded every facility for defence. It was 
situated in a bend of the river, commanding the chan- 
nel for a considerable distance below. The turn of 
the stream forms a point of land below the fort, on the 
opposite side, which being covered with timber, would 
mask an approaching vessel. This wood was ordered 
to be cut down, that the fire of the fort might range 
across the point. At the site of Fort Bourbon a bat- 
tery was commenced which would place an ascending 
force between two fires. Other batteries were to be 
constructed on the same side as St. Philip, but consi- 
derably above ; and by these different works the river 
would be commanded for nearly two miles. Should 
a hostile force succeed in passing Fort St. Phihp, it 
was believed that it could be stopped at the English 
turn, about twelve miles below the city. The bend of 
the river here was even greater than at Plaquemines, 
and was also strongly fortified. 

Unfortunately, the defences of the other great ave- 
nue of approach were far less adequate to the purpose 
for which they were required. The passage between 
the lakes Borgne and Pontchartrain was, as has been 
stated, defended by a battery at Petites Coquilles : 
and it was supposed to be sufficiently strong to repel 



JACKSON'S MILITARY FORCE. 275 

any attack which could be made upon it. But the 
entrance to Lake Borgne, impassable indeed to large 
vessels, but readily accessible to those of light draught, 
was secured only by five gun-boats. This force, how- 
ever, was supposed to be capable of repulsing an at- 
tack by boats, in which alone the enemy would be 
able to reach them. To render the approach by Lake 
Borgne more difficult, numerous parties of mihtia were 
sent out to cut down trees, and throw them across the 
small bayous which might afford a landing-place, and 
to obstruct as much as possible, every channel by 
which the enemy might reach the land. It was gene- 
rally expected that they would attempt to reach the 
city by the Mississippi river ; but if they should take 
the other route, the general believed that the defences 
were sufficiently strong to keep them at bay. 

But by far the greatest difficulty which presented 
itself to the American general was the want of suffi- 
cient military force. The army which he had brought 
from Mobile consisted only of Coffee's Tennessee 
volunteers, Hinds' company of cavalry, and the 7th 
and 44th regiments, amounting to about fifteen hun- 
dred men. The city volunteers added three hundred, 
and the battalion of men of colour, two hundred; 
making a total, with the troops in garrison at Fort St. 
Philip, of only two thousand five hundred men. This 
force all saw to be wholly incompetent to the defence 
of a city so exposed against a veteran army of many 
times its number, aided by the powerful naval force 
which the British had assembled in the West Indies 
for this expedition. To remedy the deficiency, General 
Jackson made every effort, in which he was nobly 



276 NEW ORLEANS. 

seconded by the executives of Kentucky, Tennessee, 
and Louisiana. By a circular letter of the secretary 
of war, dated July 4th, 1814, directing the governors 
of the several states to hold in readiness their quotas 
of an army of ninety-three thousand five hundred 
men, Kentucky was directed to raise five thousand 
five hundred, Tennessee two thousand five hundred, 
and Louisiana one thousand. On the 6th of August, 
in pursuance of this letter. Governor Claiborne of 
Louisiana issued a general order, apportioning the 
quota assigned to the state between the two divisions 
of militia; and he subsequently exerted himself ac- 
tively to fill the ranks. The number required, how- 
ever, was never obtained ; the whole number of Lou- 
isianians in the army of General Jackson being less 
than nine hundred. 

The venerable and patriotic Shelby, governor of 
Kentucky, responded to the orders of the secretary, 
and the urgent requests of Jackson, by immediately 
organizing his quota of men, under the command of 
Major-General Thomas. The quarter-master's de- 
partment being unable to furnish the supphes necessary 
for the men, several private individuals contributed 
from their own property sufficient funds to enable the 
detachment to commence its progress down the Ohio 
river. Unfortunately, the most strenuous endeavours 
could not obtain arms sufficient for the division. 
Owing to the drain caused by the northern campaigns, 
firearms of all descriptions were exceedingly scarce in 
Kentucky ; and many of the men were obliged to pro- 
ceed without arms, in the hope that they would be 
able to procure them on their arrival at the camp. 



TENNESSEE TROOPS. 



277 




Embarkation of the Tennessee troops. 



Major-General Carroll, whose gallantry we have 
before had occasion to notice, was appointed to the 
command of the force to be drawn from Tennessee. 
On the 19th of December, his division rendezvoused 
at Nashville ; and on the 27th, the last of them em- 
barked for New Orleans. On the voyage down the 
Mississippi, Carroll seized every opportunity to instruct 
his men in military evolutions, and render them fa- 
miliar with the manoeuvres of the field. In this man- 
ner, they improved considerably in military knowledge, 
and became used to concert of action. They were 
still, however, far from being equal to the veteran sol- 
diers which the enemy was about to bring against 
them. 

On the day of his arrival at New Orleans, General 



278 ' 



NEW ORLEANS. 




Jackioii UcsccuJui^' Uie ^Iissibsippi lo cxuuiiue Ilie turlihi^aliou? 



Jackson reviewed the city battalion of volunteer com- 
panies, whose good appearance and skill in military 
evolutions gave him great satisfaction. His appear- 
ance re-animated the spirits of the patriotic citizens, 
who had begun to despair of success. The fame of 
his victories in the west had reached their ears, and 
his known firmness and acknowledged military skill 
filled them with hope and confidence. The effect of 
this change was seen in the increased activity with 
which the warlike preparations were carried on, the 
accessions to the ranks of the militia and volunteers, 
and the cheerful air which every countenance wore 
after his arrival. He immediately entered upon the 



THE CITY FORTIFIED. 



279 




'A Till M,, '"Vr''^^^^' 



Fortifying of New Orleans. 



arduous task of preparing to meet an enemy whose 
force was known to be greatly superior, and whose 
troops were flushed with recent victory over the 
bravest soldiers of Europe. Two days after reach- 
ing the city, he proceeded down the Mississippi, to 
examine in person the fortifications upon which its 
defence depended. He ordered several additional 
pieces of cannon to be mounted in Fort St. Philip, and 
directed that the batteries by which it was to be flanked 
should be immediately constructed. Having taken 
the necessary measures for executing his plans, he 
returned to New Orleans on the 9th of December, 
and proceeded at once on a similar tour of inspection 
to the lakes. Having ordered the erection of a bat- 
tery at the confluence of the river Chef-Menteur and 
39 



280 NEW ORLEANS. 

the Bayou Sauvage, he returned to the city. He 
communicated to the governor the measures he had 
taken for the defence of the river, and invited tlie 
co-operation of the memhers of the legislature, to 
complete the fortifications as soon as possible. For 
this purpose he suggested that the planters should 
furnish negro labourers, without compensation : the 
security of their slaves depending entirely upon the 
success of the defenders of the country. Pursuant to 
this recommendation, the legislature authorized Go- 
vernor Claiborne to call into the public service the 
negroes of the parishes of Plaquemines, St. Bernard, 
St. Charles, and St. John Baptist, and to employ them 
upon the fortifications of the river. 

The naval forces stationed at New Orleans, con- 
sisting of six gun-boats and several small vessels, were 
commanded by CommiOdore Daniel T. Patterson. 
Five gun-boats and two tenders were stationed upon 
the lakes, under the command of Lieutenant Thomas 
Ap-Catesby Jones. Early in December Commodore 
Patterson received an anonymous communication, 
dated at Pensacola, December 5th, informing him of 
the presence of a large British fleet, numbering about 
eighty vessels, off that port ; and stating that a much 
greater number were momentarily expected. On the 
arrival of the remainder of the armament, offensive 
operations were to be commenced immediately against 
New Orleans. On receiving this intelligence. Lieu- 
tenant Jones was ordered to reconnoitre the enemy, 
and retreat at his approach to the Rigolets, where he 
was to defend himself to the last extremity. The 
lieutenant detached aun-boats Nos. 23 and 163, com- 



RECONNOISSANCES. 28i 



British fleet off Pensacola. 



manded by Lieutenant M'Keever and Sailing-Master 
Ulrick, to Dauphine Island. On the 9th of December 
these officers discovered two of the enemy's vessels 
at sea, steering westward towards the entrance of 
Lake Borgne. The gun-boats immediately made sail, 
and kept on the same course as the enemy, under 
shelter of the island, until nightfall. The enemy's 
vessels having anchored, the gun-boats rejoined the 
flotilla. Apprehending a night attack, the vessels 
were kept under sail all night. When day broke, a 
numerous fleet was seen at anchor between Cat and 
Ship islands. 

The flotilla then proceeded to the pass Mariana, 
where it anchored. The following day was occupied in 
putting the gun-boats in the best condition for defence ; 
and on the 12th the enemy were reconnoitred from 
the eastern extremity of Cat Island. The hostile force 
was discovered to be considerably increased since its 
first appearance ; and on the 13th Lieutenant Jones 



282 NEW ORLEANS. 

deemed it prudent to retire to the bay of St. Louis. 
At ten A. M., a laro;e flotilla of barges was discovered 
making for the pass Christiana. This was supposed 
to be a debarkation of troops ; but the barges con- 
tinuing their course to the westward after gaining the 
pass Christiana, Lieutenant Jones was convinced that 
they intended to attack him. He attempted to make 
sail ; but found the depth of water, owing to the long 
continuance of westerly winds, and the lowness of the 
tide, insuflicicnt to float a part of his squadron. After 
great exertions, the tide having begun to rise, he suc- 
ceeded in getting under weigh, and made sail for 
Petites Coquilles. 

At a quarter before four P. M. the enemy sent 
seven barges to cut out the Seahorse, which had been 
sent into the bay of St. Louis to remove some public 
stores deposited there. The barges were repulsed 
with loss : but Mr. Johnson, who commanded the Sea- 
horse, knowing his inability to defend her against the 
whole force of the enemy, and prevented by them from 
rejoining the gun-boats, blew up his vessel, and set 
fire to the public property on shore. The gun-boats 
proceeded until one A. M. on the 14th, when the wind 
died away, and they were obliged to anchor in the 
western extremity of the passage behind Malheureux 
Island. The dawn of day disclosed the enemy at an- 
chor about nine miles distant. They soon advanced 
towards the gun-boats, which were prevented by the 
perfect calm and a strong counter current from re- 
treating. Unable to avoid an action. Lieutenant Jones 
made his dispositions very judiciously. The vessels 



GUN-BOAT ACTION, 



283 




Blowing up of the Seahorse. 



were anchored by the stern, with springs upon their 
cables, in a hne across the passage. 

Having captured the tender AlHgator, with one 
four-pounder and eight men, the enemy continued to 
advance until they were just out of gun-shot, when 
they came to, for a short time, to allow their men to 
get their breakfasts. At half- past ten, they again 
came on. Unfortunately, gun-boats 156 and 163 had 
been forced from their anchorage by the current, and 
drifted one hundred and fifty yards in advance of the 
line. The squadron fired upon the enemy as they 
advanced, and at ten minutes before eleven they re- 
turned the fire from their whole line. The contest 
now became spirited and obstinate. Repeated attempts 
were made to board No. 156, which were as often 
beaten oflT, until Lieutenant Jones being severely 
wounded, and nearly all his crew disabled, at ten 
minutes past twelve, superior numbers prevailed, and 



284 NEW ORLEANS. 

the British succeeded in gaining her deck. Her guns 
were immediately turned upon the remaining vessels, 
which were carried, but not till many of the enemy's 
boats were sunk, and a great number of officers and 
men killed and wounded. At twenty minutes before 
one P. M., the battle ended by the surrender of 
No. 23. 

The conduct of the Americans in this engajTement 
well deserved the high commendation which the nation 
lavished upon the brave men who composed their force. 
Against an immense superiority of numbers and force, 
unable to manoeuvre their vessels, and exposed to a 
severe fire, they maintained the contest for more than 
two hours, and only surrendered when the enemy had 
gained their decks, and overpowered them by numbers. 
The whole number of guns in the five American ves- 
sels was 23, and of men one hundred and eighty-three. 
The British force consisted of twelve hundred men, in 
forty-five boats, mounting 43 pieces of cannon. They 
lost several boats sunk, and at least three hundred men, 
including many officers, killed or wounded ; while the 
American loss in men was but six killed and thirty- 
five wounded. Lieutenants Jones, M'Keever and 
Pedder, and Sailing-Master Parker, were all severely 
wounded before their flags were struck. 

When the intelligence of the capture of the gun- 
boats was communicated to General Jackson, it caused 
him to feel great anxiety for the safety of Mobile. 
The importance of this post as the key to the Indian 
territory was very great, and Jackson had done all 
that his circumstances allowed to secure it against 
any attack of the British. Upon the gun-boats he 



COMMODORE PATTERSON. 285 

had relied principally for the protection of the channels 
by which the rear of Fort Bowyer might be gained ; 
and their loss, and the consequent increase of the 
available force of the enemy, caused much chagrin. 
He immediately informed General Winchester, at 
Mobile, of the event, and ordered him to defend Mo- 
bile Point at all hazards ; impressing upon his mind, 
at the same time, the immense injury which would 
accrue to the American arms by its loss. 

Commodore Patterson, after officially informing 
the governor of the loss of the squadron, requested 
the legislature to take some steps to procure a suffi- 
cient number of sailors to man the vessels upon the 
river, intended for the defence of New Orleans. In 
compliance with his request, a law was passed by 
which six thousand dollars was appropriated for the 
purpose of giving bounties to sailors, to enlist in the 
United States service. In this manner, and by laying 
a temporary embargo upon the vessels in port, a suf- 
ficient number of seamen were obtained to man the 
ship Louisiana, and the schooner Carohna, which af- 
terwards did great service. 

On the 15th, perceiving that the British would pro- 
bably succeed in landing, having entire command of 
Lake Borgne, General Jackson sent expresses to Ge- 
nerals Coffee, Carroll, and Thomas, to hasten their 
approach. General Coffee, who had been previously 
ordered to take a station whence he might without 
delay reach New Orleans, had advanced to Sandy 
Creek, near Baton Rouge. He arrived there, after a 
tedious and difficult march, about the 8th of December. 
Jackson ordered him to repair immediately to New 



286 NEW ORLEANS. 

Orleans. On the 18th, the New Orleans and Louisiana 
volunteers and militia, who had been regularly mus- 
tered into the service of the United States, were re- 
viewed by the general, on their respective parades. 
He addressed each corps in language calculated to 
arouse all their ardour and patriotism, and to fill them 
with a wish to meet the enemy. 

" Fellows-citizens and soldiers !" said he to the mi- 
litia, " the general commanding in chief would not do 
justice to the noble ardour that has animated you in 
the hour of danger, he would not do justice to his own 
feelings, if he suffered the example you have shown to 
pass without public notice. Inhabitants of an opulent 
commercial town, you have by a spontaneous effort 
shaken off the habits which are created by wealth, 
and shown that you are resolved to deserve the bless- 
ings of fortune by bravely defending them. Long 
strangers to the perils of war, you have embodied 
yourselves to face them with the cool countenance of 
veterans — and with motives of disunion that might 
operate on weak minds, you have forgotten the dif- 
ferences of language and prejudice of national pride, 
and united with a cordiality that does honour to your 
understandings as well as to your patriotism. 

" Natives of the United States ! They are the op- 
pressors of your infant political existence w ith whom 
you are to contend — they are the men your fathers 
fought and conquered whom you are now to oppose. 
Descendants of Frenchmen! Natives of France! 
They are English ; the hereditary, the eternal enemies 
of your ancient country, the invaders of that you have 
adopted, who are your foes. Spaniards ! Remember 




40 



ADDRESS TO THE TROOPS. 287 

the conduct of your allies at St. Sebastian, and re- 
cently at Pensacola, and rejoice that you have an 
opportunity*of avenging the brutal injuries inflicted by 
men who dishonour the human race. Louisianians ! 
Your general rejoices to witness the spirit that ani- 
mates you, not only for your honour, but your safety ; 
for whatever had been your conduct or wishes, his 
duty would have led, and did lead him to confound the 
citizen unmindful of his rights, with the enemy he 
ceases to oppose. Commanding men who know their 
rights and are determined to defend them, he salutes 
you as brethren in arms, and has now a new motive 
to exert all his faculties, which shall be strained to the 
utmost in your defence. Continue with the energy 
you have begun, and he promises you not only safety, 
but victory over an insolent foe, who has insulted you 
by an afliected doubt of your attachment to the con- 
stitution of your country. Your enemy is near ; his 
sails already cover the lakes : but the brave are united j 
and if he find us contending among ourselves, it will 
be for the prize of valour, and fame, its noblest 
reward." 

« The battalion of men of colour he addressed thus : 
" Soldiers : From the shores of Mobile I collected you 
to arms ; I invited you to share in the perils, and to 
divide the glory of your white countrymen. I ex- 
pected much from you ; for I was not uninformed of 
those qualities which must render you so formidable 
to an invading foe. I knew that you could endure 
hunger and thirst, and all the hardships of war. I 
knew that you loved the land of your nativity ; and 
that, like ourselves, you had to defend all that is most 



288 NEW ORLEANS. 

dear to man — but you surpass my hopes. I have 
found in you, united to those quahties, that noble en- 
thusiasm which impels to great deeds." • 

The moments were precious. Since his arrival in 
New Orleans, Jackson had not failed to make the 
most of his time. Never was a more wonderful ac- 
tivity displayed ; and never, within so short a period, 
was order seen to succeed to confusion, confidence to 
despondency. The resources which incapacity never 
finds — because it neither knows how to seek them 
where they already exist, nor to draw them forth 
where they may lie latent — discovered and created by 
the combined power of genius and perseverance, rose 
from all sides at the bidding of the will which sum- 
moned them. The Tennessee militia under General 
Carroll, the mounted riflemen commanded by General 
Coffee, both generals of militia, had at last arrived. 
The latter came in a single march from Baton Rouge 
to within two leagues of New Orleans, a distance of 
thirty leagues ! These troops had made the campaign 
against the Creeks, and had driven out the English 
from Pensacola. They were volunteers — men of 
family and substance. Patriotism had led them to thg 
field ; honour alone kept tliem there ; for no law had 
summoned them. Jackson left them encamped only 
a few miles from the city. He did not wish these de- 
tachments to be counted ; it was a part of his policy 
to exaggerate his forces, to deceive the spies, and to 
impose upon the enemy. Besides, he did not wish, 
before the battles, to exhibit to a population accus- 
tomed to see no other soldiers than those equipped in 
military costume, these warriors of the west, with 



THE HABEAS CORPUS. 289 



their strange accoutrements and their pecuHar disci- 
phne, suitable to their fashion of warfare, but so httle 
in accordance with the regularity of permanent troops. 
Without, however, collecting his forces together, 
Jackson took care to distribute them in such a manner 
as to be readily able to bring them in a single mass 
upon New Orleans ; and to attack the enemy with his 
whole assembled force immediately on his disem- 
barkation. 

The Legislature of the state were at this time in 
session. In order to prevent communications with 
the enemy, and the protection of spies and traitors, 
with whom the country was filled, Jackson applied to 
them to grant a suspension of the habeas corpus act. 
After an animated discussion, the proposition was 
rejected. This determination to leave undisturbed 
this popular remedy, so noble in itself, but susceptible 
of so dangerous a use in the hands of feeble or disaf- 
fected magistrates, disturbed General Jackson. He 
looked on the presence of a deliberative assembly in a 
besieged city as dangerous ; especially when that as- 
sembly had not been elected w ith a special charge to 
meet the crisis now existing or anticipated. It weakens 
the energy of power by dividing it. If events should 
take an unfavourable direction, it would serve as a 
means of action to the evil-disposed. The dema- 
gogues of disorder would make use of it as a pedestal 
on which to raise themselves, and to scatter from a 
higher elevation over the people at large the puerile 
alarms which agitated them. While, if the issue hung 
long in suspense, it would harass itself with the tor- 
ture of an inactive expectation. Envy would take 



290 NEW ORLEANS. 

possession of little minds, which would be annoyed to 
find no longer fixed on them the attention which the 
nation always extends to him who fights, in preference 
to him who merely speaks in its cause. Besides, the 
more manly portion of that assembly had felt the ridi- 
cule of the part they were there made to play. The 
more generous spirits were unwilling to remain in 
seats of inglorious security, while Jackson was hold- 
ing open the lists to all who felt their hearts thrill to 
the sound of arms. Several senators, musket in hand, 
had taken their places in the ranks as privates ; others, 
who had served in Europe, took the command of the 
guns, or posts of inferior service in artillery. Such a 
division between the men of action and their col- 
leagues could not but degrade the latter in the opinion 
of the public. Besides, this same legislature had be- 
fore, at a moment of expected danger, supported the 
militia who refused to defend their country at the caR 
of General Flournoy ; and now refusing to suspend 
the writ of habeas corpus^ General Jackson, fearing 
that they might defeat the means which he saw neces- 
sary to the defence of the state and city, suspended 
their councils, on the 16th of December, by declaring 
the city and environs of New Orleans under martial 
law. 

Every person entering the city was required imme- 
diately to report himself to the adjutant-general ; and 
on failing to do so, he was arrested and held for ex- 
amination. None were to depart from it, or be suf- 
fered to pass beyond the chain of sentinels, but by 
permission from the commanding general, or one of 
the staff. Nor was any vessel or craft to be permitted 



MARTIAL LAW DECLARED. 291 

to sail on the river or the lakes, but by the same 
authority, or a passport signed by the commander of 
the naval forces. The lamps were to be extinguished 
at nine o'clock at night ; after which time, all persons 
found in the streets or from their respective homes, 
without permission in writing, signed as above, were 
to be arrested as spies, and detained for examination. 

At a crisis so important, and from a persuasion that 
the country in its menaced situation could not be 
saved by the exercise of any ordinary powers, he be- 
lieved it best to adopt a course which would be effi- 
cient, even if it partially endangered the rights and 
privileges of the citizen* He proclaimed martial law, 
believing that necessity and policy required it, " under 
a solemn conviction that the country committed to his 
care could by such a measure alone be saved from 
litter ruin, and from a religious belief that he was per- 
forming the most important and sacred duty. By it 
he intended to supersede such civil powers as in their 
operation interfered with those he was obliged to ex- 
ercise. He thought that at such a moment constitu- 
tional forms should be suspended for the preservation 
of constitutional rights ; and that there could be no 
question whether it were better to depart for a mo- 
ment from the enjoyment of our dearest privileges, or 
have them wrested from us for ever. 

" In thus placing the defence of this measure upon 
the highest law of nature and of nations — that of over- 
ruling necessity in self-preservation, he stood upon 
impregnable ground, so far as principle was involved, 
whatever differences of opinion may exist with regard 
to the application of the principle, or the existence of 
41 



292 NEW ORLEANS. 

the dire necessity of resorting to a measure so ex- 
traordinary."* 

A few days after the declaration of martial law, 
" Judge Hall, by a writ of habeas corpus, undertook to 
interfere with a military arrest. Jackson forthwith 
ordered the intermeddling judge beyond his camp. 
On the return of peace the judge also returned, and 
resumed his judicial functions, summoning the general 
to appear and answer for this alleged contempt. 
Jackson appeared ; and his counsel, when they would 
have argued his defence, were silenced by the judge, 
who proceeded to impose upon the general a fine of 
one thousand dollars. This act was most deeply re- 
sented by the people of New Orleans, who filled the 
court, and whose enthusiasm for the saviour of their 
city knew no bounds. But General Jackson restrained 
and rebuked their fervour, declaring his cheerful sub- 
mission to the law, and giving them to understand 
that the same arm which had saved the city should be 
raised, if needful, to protect the court. The citizens, 
indignant at this act of judicial revenge, were never- 
theless withheld from violence."t 

" The ladies of New Orleans raised the money to 
discharge the fine ; but the general declined receiving 
it, and requested that it might be distributed among 
the widows and orphans of those who had fallen in 
the battle. 

"Jackson foresaw the day — too long delayed — 
but which came at last, when twenty millions of free- 
men, speaking through the national congress, should 

* Lewis's Euldgy. f BoUes's Eulogy. 



LANDING OF THE BRITISH. 293 

vindicate the rectitude of his conduct, and declare to 
mankind that America does not wilhngly allow her 
valiant defenders to be fined and reproached for 
effecting their country's salvation."* 

But to return from the defence of the general to 
the defence of the city. The gun-boats having been 
captured, and the enemy having entire command of 
the lakes, it was obvious to General Jackson that it 
would be useless to attempt to oppose his landing. 
He knew that success depended on a prompt defensive 
movement — his only hope rested on a successful attack 
to be made on the invading army the moment they 
landed. In answer to an express from General Car- 
roll, whose division had been delayed on its way to 
New Orleans, he said, " I am resolved, feeble as my 
force is, to assail the enemy on his first landing, and 
perish sooner than he shall reach the city." This de- 
termination, thus nobly expressed, was promptly 
executed. 

On the morning of the 23d of December, guided 
by some Spanish fishermen, the enemy effected a 
landing at the junction of the Bayou Bienvenu and 
Lake Borgne, and surprising the small guard posted 
there, hastened forward to the bank of the Mississippi, 
which they reached about nine miles below the city. 
There they were discovered about noon by Majors 
Tatum and Latour, who immediately reported their 
discovery to General Jackson. Resolving that night 
to meet the invaders, Jackson made every preparation 
to act. The signal guns were fired, and expresses 

*BolIes's Eulogy. 



294 



NEW ORLEANS. 




Arrival of the Britisli iieet. 



sent forward to concentrate the forces. Although en- 
camped four miles above, Generals Coffee and Carroll 
arrived in the city in less than two hours after the 
order had been issued. These forces, with the 7th 
and 44th regiments, the Louisiana troops, and Colonel 
Hinds' dragoons, constituted the strength of his army, 
which could be carried into action against an enemy 
whose numbers at this time could only be conjectured. 
Uncertain of the enemy's movements, it was thought 
advisable to leave Carroll and his division, and Go- 
vernor Claiborne with the state militia behind, to take 
post on the Gentilly road leading from Chef-Men teur 
to New Orleans, lest the landing below should be only 
a feint intended to conceal a real attack from the upper 
part of Lake Borgne. 

Alarm pervaded the city. The marching and 
countermarching of the troops — the proximity of the 
enemy — with the approaching contest, and uncertainty 
of the issue, had excited a general fear. Colonel 



PLAN OF ATTACK. 295 

Hayne, with two companies of riflemen and the Mis- 
sissippi dragoons, was sent forward to harass and op- 
pose the advance of the British. Everything being 
at last ready, General Jackson commenced his march 
to meet and fight the veteran troops of England. 

An inconsiderable circumstance, at this moment, 
evinced the unlimited confidence which was reposed 
in his skill and bravery. As his troops were marching 
through the city, his ears were assailed with the 
screams and cries of innumerable females who had 
collected on the way, and seemed to apprehend the 
worst of consequences. Feeling for their distresses, 
and anxious to quiet them, he directed Mr. Livingston 
to address them in the French language. "Say to 
them," said he, " not to be alarmed ; the enemy shall 
never reach the city." The effect was electrical. To 
know that he himself was not apprehensive of a fatal 
result, inspired them with altered feelings ; sorrow 
was ended, and their grief converted into hope and 
confidence. 

Jackson arrived in view of the enemy a little before 
dark. Having formed a junction with Colonel Hayne, 
he learned from him the position of the invaders, and 
that their strength was about two thousand men.* 
A plan of attack was instantly concerted. Commodore 
Patterson, commanding the naval forces, with Captain 
Henly, on board the Caroline, was directed to drop 
down, anchor in front of their line, and open upon 

* This was really the strength of the British when Colonel Hayne 
saw them ; but reinforcements continually arriving by the way of the 
Bayou Bienvenu, had at the beginning of the battle increased their 
number to three thousand. 



296 NEW ORLEANS. 

them from the guns of the schooner ; which being the 
signal for attack, it was to be waged simultaneously 
on all sides. The enemy's camp-tires disclosed his 
position, and showed his encampment, formed with 
the left resting on the river, and extending nearly at 
right angles into the open field. General Coffee, with 
his brigade, Colonel Hinds' dragoons, and Captain 
Beal's company of riflemen, was ordered to oblique to 
the left, and by a circuitous route avoid their pickets, 
and endeavour to turn their right wing ; having suc- 
ceeded in this, he was instructed to form his line, and 
press the enemy towards the river, where they would 
be exposed more completely to the fire of the Caroline. 
The rest of the troops, consisting of the regulars, Plan- 
che's city volunteers, Daquin's coloured troops, and 
the artillery under Lieutenant Spots, supported by a 
company of marines commanded by Colonel M'Kee, 
advanced along the bank of the Mississippi, their right 
resting on the river, and were commanded by Jackson 
in person. 

The astonishment, dismay, and confusion of the 
British, when attacked by the Caroline, cannot be 
better described than in the words of one of their own 
subalterns.* 

"The day passed without any alarm; and dark- 
ness having set in, the fires were niade to blaze with 
increased splendour, our evening meal was eat, and we 
prepared to sleep. But about half-past seven o'clock 
the attention of several individuals was drawn to a 
large vessel, which seemed to be stealing up the river 

* Campaigns of the British Army at Washington and New Orleans. 



ATTACK OF THE CAROLINE. 297 

till she came opposite to our camp ; when her anchor 
was dropped and her sails leisurely furled. At first 
we were doubtful whether she might not be one of 
our own cruisers which had passed the port unobserved, 
and had arrived to render her assistance in our future 
operations. To satisfy this doubt, she was repeatedly 
hailed, hut returned no answer ; when an alarm spread- 
ing through the bivouac, all thought of sleep was laid 
aside. Several musket shots were now fired at her 
with the design of exacting a reply, of which no notice 
was taken ; till at length, having fastened all her sails 
and swuns her broadside towards us, we could dis- 
tinctly hear some one cry out in a commanding voice, 
'Give them this for the honour of America.' The 
words were instantly followed by the flashes of her 
guns, and a deadly shower of grape swept down num- 
bers in the camp. 

" Against this dreadful fire we had nothing what- 
ever to oppose. The artillery which we had landed 
was too light to bring into competition with an adver- 
sary so powerful ; and as she had anchored within a 
short distance of the opposite bank, no musketry 
could reach her with any precision or eflfect. A few 
rockets were discharged, which made a beautiful ap- 
pearance in the air ; but the rocket is an uncertain 
weapon ; and these deviated too far from their object 
to produce even terror among those against whom 
they were directed. Under these circumstances, as 
nothing could be done offensively, our sole object was 
to shelter the men as much as possible from this iron 
hail. With this view they were commanded to leave 
42 



298 NEW ORLEANS. 

the fires, and to hasten under the dyke * Thither all 
accordingly repaired, without much regard to order 
and regularity ; and laying ourselves along wherever 
we could find room, we listened in painful silence to 
the scattering of grape-shot among our huts, and to 
the shrieks and groans of those who lay wounded 
beside them. 

" The night w^as now as dark as pitch, the moon 
being but young, and totally obscured with clouds. 
Our fires, deserted by us, and beat about by the 
enemy's shot, began to burn red and dull ; and, except 
when the flashes of those guns which played upon us 
cast a momentary glare, not an object could be distin- 
guished at the distance of a yard. In this state we 
lay for nearly an hour, unable to move from our 
ground, or offer any opposition to those who kept us 
there ; when a straggling fire of musketry called our 
attention towards the pickets, and warned us to pre- 
pare for a closer and more desperate strife. As yet, 
however, it was uncertain from what cause this drop- 
ping fire arose. It might proceed from the sentinels, 
who, alarmed by the cannonade from the river, mis- 
took every tree for an American ; and till this should 
be more fully ascertained, it would be improper to ex- 
pose the troops, by moving any of them from the shel- 
ter which the bank aflforded. But these doubts were 
not permitted to continue long in existence. The 
dropping fire having paused for a few moments, was 
succeeded by a fearful yell, and the heavens were illu- 



* Called by the Louisianians "levee," an embankment formed 
along the river to confine it in its bed. 



COB' FEE'S ATTACK. 299 

minated on all sides by a semicircular blaze of mus- 
ketry. It was now clear that we were surrounded, 
and that by a very superior force ; and, therefore, no 
alternative remained, but either to surrender at discre- 
tion or to beat back the assailants." 

This "very superior force" was Coffee's brigade 
of about six hundred dismounted riflemen, which the 
fears of the enemy, at this time three thousand strong, 
magnified into an army of thousands. The attack 
had been commenced somewhat prematurely by the 
Caroline; otherwise the astonishment of the British 
would have been fatal. The levee would have afforded 
them no protection. Attacked on three sides at once, 
they would have been compelled to retreat before an 
inferior force or surrender at discretion. When 
General Coffee arrived at the edge of the ditch sepa- 
rating the plantations of Laronde and Lacoste, he or- 
dered his men to dismount, and leaving one hundred 
men to guard the horses, pushed forward with the re- 
mainder, and gained, as he believed, the centre of the 
enemy's line. At this instant the signal from the 
Caroline reached him ; he wheeled his columns into 
an extended line, according to the orders he had pre- 
viously received, and moved towards the camp. He 
had scarcely advanced more than a hundred yards, 
when he was fired upon by the enemy in front. This 
to him was an unexpected occurrence, as he supposed 
the enemy to be lying principally on the bank of the 
river, and thought that the only opposition he would 
meet until he should reach the levee would be from 
the advanced guards. The circumstance of his com- 
ing up with them so soon, was in consequence of the 



300 NEW ORLEANS. 

severe attack of the schooner, whicli had compelled 
them to ahandon their camp, and take refuge behind 
the dyke. Coffee ordered his line to advance in si- 
lence, and to fire without order, but only when certain 
of their object. The line pressed on, and having 
gained a position in the rear of Lacoste's garden, and 
near enough to the enemy to distinguish them by the 
uncertain light of the moon, a brisk fire was com- 
menced, which was the more destructive, as not a man 
discharged his rifle without doing execution. This 
continued shower of deadly bullets was too severe to 
be long withstood ; the enemy gave way and retreated 
— they rallied, formed, were charged, and again re- 
treated. The gallant Tennesseeans, led by their 
brave commander, urged fearlessly on, and drove 
them from every position they attempted to maintain, 
until they reached the bank of the river. Here a de- 
termined stand was made, and further encroachments 
resisted. For half an hour the contest was extremely 
violent on both sides. The American troops could 
not be driven from their purpose, nor the British made 
to yield their ground ; but, at length, having suffered 
greatly, the latter were under the necessity of taking 
refuge behind a strong bank, which afforded a breast- 
work, and protected them from the fatal fire of Coffee's 
riflemen. Coffee, unacquainted with their true posi- 
tion, was again about to order another charge, when 
one of his aids, who had advanced near enough to 
gain the information, assured him that such a course 
would be too hazardous ; that they could be driven 
no further, and would from the point they occupied 
resist with the bayonet, and repel, with considerable 



COFFEE'S ATTACK. 301 

loss, any attempt to dislodge them. The place of 
their retirement was covered in front by a strong 
bank, which had been extended into the field to keep 
out the river, in consequence of the first being en- 
croached upon and imdermined in several places. 
The old one, however, was still entire in many parts, 
and gave them security from the broadsides of the 
schooner, which lay oft' at a little distance. A fur- 
ther apprehension, lest, by moving still nearer to the 
river, he might expose himself to the fire of the Caro- 
line, which yet maintained the conflict with spirit, 
induced Coflfee to retire, until he could hear from the 
commanding general, and receive his further orders. 

During the whole of this time, the detachment of 
cavalry under the command of Major Hinds, not being 
able to manoeuvre in fields cut up with ditches at very 
close intervals, remained drawn up on the edge of a 
ditch, in the middle of Lacoste's plantation. Captain 
Beale's company of Orleans riflemen advanced on 
the left of Coffee's line until they were separated from 
them in the first charge. They then pushed forward 
into Villere's plantation, almost in the midst of the 
detachments of the enemy continually arriving from 
the boats. They were principally engaged with a 
corps near the old levee, which they forced to re- 
treat. In the meantime. Coffee discovered that some 
of the British had posted themselves among the negro 
huts on his right. He immediately moved to the 
right, drove them from the huts, and took a po- 
sition near the boundary of Laronde's plantation. 
Captain Beale's company having penetrated into the 
very camp of the enemy and made several prisoners, 



302 NEW ORLEANS. 

pushed forward to the right, following Coffee's move- 
ment, with the intention of effecting a junction. Un- 
fortunately, a party of them, owing to the darkness, 
fell among a large corps of the British, thinking them 
friends, and were made prisoners. The others, follow- 
ing the road to the right, soon joined General Coffee 
with several prisoners. 

While the left wing was thns driving before them 
a superior force, the right wing under Jackson was 
not inactive. On hearing the signal from the Caro- 
line, the whole line moved forward along the bank of 
the river, until they were stopped by a heavy fire from 
behind a fence immediately before them. This brought 
the enemy to view ; and Jackson ordered his line to 
advance, and not to waste their ammunition at ran- 
dom, but make every shot tell. A fog arising from 
the river, and the smoke from the guns, gradually di- 
minished the little light shed by the moon, and greatly 
increased the darkness of the night. The enemy 
could only be discovered by the flash of their muskets. 
This left no alternative to the assailants but to move 
ou in the direction of the fire, which subjected them to 
great disadvantages, and finally prevented the left of 
the line from joining the right of Coffee's, as had been 
intended. The battery of two field-pieces was formed 
on the road, and the British were driven from their 
first position at the point of the bayonet. They re- 
tired, however, only until they came to a deep ditch, 
on the side of which there was a rail fence, where 
they again formed, and, strengthened by large rein- 
forcements, opposed the advance of the Americans. 
Having waited until they approached sufficiently near 



JACKSON'S ATTACK. 303 

to be distinctly seen, the enemy discharged a fire upon 
the advancing army. Instantly the little battery in 
the road was again formed, and poured destructively 
upon them ; while the infantry, pressing forward, aided 
in the conflict, which was at this point for some time 
spiritedly maintained. At this moment, a brisk sally 
was made upon the American advance ; the marines, 
unequal to the assault, were already giving way, when 
the adjutant-general, and Colonels Piatt and Chotard 
with a part of the 7th regiment, hastening to their sup- 
port, drove back the enemy, and saved the artillery 
from capture. General Jackson, perceiving the de- 
cided advantages which were derived from the position 
occupied by the enemy, ordered their line to be 
charged. The order was executed with promptness. 
Pressing on, the troops gained the ditch, and pouring 
across it a well-aimed fire, compelled them to retreat, 
and to abandon their intrenchment. They only fled a 
short distance, to renew the contest behind another 
fence or ditch, which they as obstinately defended, 
but were, in like manner, forced to yield. 

The British then formed the design of turning the 
American left ; but they were met and repulsed by Da- 
quin's and the battalion of city guards, and again fell 
back in the darkness. The enemy had now been thrice 
assailed and beaten, and for nearly a mile compelled to 
yield their ground. They had now retired, and were 
only to be found by seeking through the darkness of 
the night. The general determined to halt and ascer- 
tain Coflfee's position and success, previously to con- 
tinuing the action ; for as yet no communication had 
passed between them. He entertained no doubt, 
43 



304 NEW ORLEANS. 

from the brisk firing in that direction, that he had been 
warmly engaged ; but this had now nearly subsided. 
The Caroline, too, had almost ceased her operations ; 
it being only occasionally that the noise of her guns 
disclosed the little opportunity she had of acting 
efficiently. 

The express despatched to General Jackson from 
the left wins: havinij reached him, he determined to 
prosecute the successes he had gained no further. He 
had already accomplished his object: checked the 
British on their first landing, and given them a slight 
foretaste of what he had in store for them, if they 
should proceed any farther. General Coffee was ac- 
cordingly directed to withdraw, and take a position 
at Laronde's plantation, where the line had been first 
formed ; and thither the troops on the right were also 
ordered to march. An order was sent to General 
Carroll, calling upon him to hasten with his brigade 
to the scene of action, with the intention of renewing 
the battle as soon as there was sufficient light. Pre- 
viously, however, to his arrival, a different determina- 
tion was made. From prisoners who had been brought 
in, and through deserters, it was ascertained that the 
strength of the enemy during the battle had been in- 
creased to four thousand men. The Americans num- 
bered only twenty-five hundred, including Carroll's 
brigade. This superiority of the enemy made it mad- 
ness to think of acting on the offensive in open day. 

Although very decided advantages had been ob- 
tained, yet they had been procured under circumstances 
which might be wholly lost in a contest waged in day- 
light between forces so disproportionate, and by un- 



JACKSON FORTIFIES HIS CAMP. 305 

disciplined troops, against veteran soldiers. Jackson 
well knew it was incumbent on him to act a part en- 
tirely defensive. Should the attempt to gain and 
destroy the city succeed, numerous difficulties would 
present themselves, which might be avoided so long 
as he could hold the enemy in check. Prompted by 
these considerations — that it was important to pursue 
a course calculated to insure safety, and believing it 
attainable in no way so effectually as in occupying 
some point, and by the strength he might give it com- 
pensate for the inferiority of his numbers — he deter- 
mined to forbear all further offensive efforts, until he 
could more certainly discover the views of the enemy, 
and until the Kentucky tr.oops, which had not yet ar- 
rived, should reach him. Having taken this resolution 
at four o'clock on the morning of the 24th, and ordered 
Colonel Hinds to occupy the ground he was then 
abandoning, and to observe the enemy closely, he fell 
back and formed his line behind a deep ditch that ran 
at right angles from the river, about two miles nearer 
the city. 

There were two circumstances that strongly re- 
commended this position to Jackson. The swamp, 
which from the highlands at Baton Rouge skirts the 
river at irregular distances, and in many places is al- 
most impervious, had here approached within four 
hundred yards of the Mississippi, and hence, from the 
narrowness of the pass, was more easy to be defended ; 
added to which there was a deep canal, whence the 
dirt being thrown on the upper side already formed a 
tolerable breastwork. Behind this his troops were 
formed, and proper measures adopted for increasing 



306 NEW ORLEANS. 

its strength, with a determination never to abandon it; 
but there to resist to the last, and vahantly to defend 
those rights which were sought to be outraged and 
destroyed. 

In the battle of the 23d of December, the American 
troops actually engaged did not amount to two thou- 
sand ; yet they for two hours maintained a- severe con- 
flict with a force of four or five thousand, and retired 
in safety from the ground, with the loss of but twenty - 
four killed, one hundred and fifteen wounded, and 
seventy-four made prisoners ; while the killed, wounded, 
and prisoners of the enemy, were not less than four 
hundred. The Americans lost among the slain Colo- 
nel Lauderdale and Lieutenant M'Clelland. 

This battle saved New Orleans. It checked the 
treacherous, confirmed the wavering, inspired the true. 
"The British had reached the Mississippi, and had 
encamped upon its banks, as composedly as if they 
had been seated on their own soil, at a distance from 
all danger. They felt certain of success, and that the 
American troops, so easily routed at Bladensburg, 
would scarcely venture to resist at New Orleans. 
Resting thus confidently, they would have moved for- 
ward the next day, and might have accomplished their 
designs. But General Jackson, with a force inferior 
by one-half to that of the enemy, at an unexpected 
moment broke into the camp, and with his undisciplined 
yeomanry, drove before him for nearly a mile, the 
proud conquerors of Europe! This was on the 
23d of December, 1814 ; and although it was not the 
death-blow, it was the master-stroke of bravery and 
sagacity which saved the city from pillage. It in- 



EFFECTS OF THE BATTLE. 307 

duced the enemy to believe that the American force 
was greater than his spies had reported it, caused him 
to suspend his meditated attack until he received re- 
inforcements, and thus gave the American general 
time to complete his fortifications, and gather addi- 
tional forces for defence."* "It taught them respect 
for the American arms. It came upon them at night, 
in a strange land, unexpected, and when but a part of 
their forces were landed. It carried confusion and 
panic into their ranks, and dispelled the terror of their 
invincibility ; and although the brilliant victory of the 
1st of January, and the total and memorable rout of 
the 8th, finally expelled the invaders, they but completed 
and perfected what the master-stroke of the 23d had 
so well begun. The forces of the British vastly ex- 
ceeded those of the attacking party; and this fact 
strongly illustrates the natural and intuitive skill of 
General Jackson in the art of war. It was the maxim 
of Napoleon, the great master of this science, that an 
inferior force should never wait to be attacked ; for, 
by advancing, they either fall with all their strength 
on a single point when they are not expected, or meet 
the opposing columns on the advance, when bravery 
gives the victory — or, in his own nervous language, 
' C^est une affaire des tetes des colonnes ou la hravoure 
seide decide tout.'' 

" There were many points of resemblance between 
Napoleon and Jackson. Both were remarkable for 
impetuosity; both acted on the oflTensive; both in 
emergencies hazarded much, if not all, on the celerity 

* Lewis's Eulogy. 



308 



NEW ORLEANS. 




Napoleon. 



and success of their assaults ; both carried the war into 
the heart of an enemy's country ; both were celebrated 
for rapidity and exactness of combination; both startled 
their adversaries by sudden and unlooked-for attacks. 
There was a similarity even in the impassioned, sen- 
tentious, and sanguine appeals of both to their re- 
spective armies; and both attained signal and bril- 
liant success* But, fortunately for our country, and 
for him whose fame we cherish, the points of difference 
are equally striking. Napoleon aimed at the conquest 
of a world, and ivould have established a sole monar- 
chy, if not despotism ; his restless ambition knew no 
goal short of universal dominion ; and after overrun- 
ning with his successful armies a great part of the 
globe, he was driven from his kingdom and his throne, 



NAPOLEON AND JACKSON. 



309 



confined in a solitary and remote island, where his 
uncontrollable spirit fretted itself out against the bars 
of the prison. Jackson drew his sword only at his 
country's call ; it was never wielded but in defence of 
her soil, her rights, and liberties ; he sheathed it but 
to return to the bosom of his family and the pleasures 
of domestic life ; he was attended always by the grate- 
ful plaudits of a people whose liberties he had defended, 
and after receiving the highest honours of the republic, 
his last days were cheered with the sight of a country's 
prosperity, to whose service his life had been devoted, 
and he was followed to the grave by a nation of 



mourners. 



*Van Buren's Eulogy. 





w 

CHAPTER XV. 

NEW ORLEANS — BATTLE OF THE EIGHTH OF 
JANUARY. 

N the defence 
of New Orleans, 
the great char- 
acteristics of Jackson 
were signally dis- 
played. Promptitude 
in decision, and acti- 
'M}M ^'ity in execu- 
cution, con- 
. .It'^'^^stituted the 
^/^'t) leading traits 
of his char- 
acter. When 
he had resolved on the course which he thought ne- 




THE INVADING ARMY. 311 

cessary to be pursued, with all possible despatch he 
hastened to its completion. Before him was an army 
proud of its name, and distinguished for its deeds of 
valour — an army, the finest that ever appeared on our 
shores, — one that had driven the warriors of France, 
the conquerors of continental Europe, from the pillars 
of Hercules to the Pyrenees. Opposed to this was 
his own unbending spirit, and an inferior, undisciphned, 
and half-armed force. He conceived, therefore, that 
his was a defensive policy ; that by prudence and cau- 
tion he would be able to preserve what offensive 
operations might have a tendency to endanger. 
Hence, with activity and industry, based on a hope 
of ultimate success, he commenced his plan of de- 
fence, determining to fortify himself as effectually as 
the peril and pressure of the moment would permit. 
When to expect attack he could not tell ; preparation 
and readiness to meet it was for him to determine on ; 
all else was for the enemy. Promptly, therefore, he 
proceeded with his system of defence ; and, with such 
thoughtfulness and anxiety, that until the night of the 
27th, when his line was completed, he never slept, or 
for a moment closed his eyes. Resting his hope of 
safety here, he was everywhere present, night and day, 
encouraging his troops, and hastening the completion 
of the works. The concern and excitement produced 
by the mighty object before him were such as over- 
came the demand, and for five days and four nights 
he was without sleep and constantly employed. 

The enemy, astounded by the warmth of reception 
on the night of their landing, still remained in their 

44 



312 



NEW ORLEANS. 



first encampment. The canal which covered the front 
of the American hne was widened and deepened, and 
a strong mud wall formed of the earth that was thrown 
out. To prevent the approach of the enemy until his 
system of defence should be in a state of greater for- 
wardness, Jackson ordered the levee to be cut, about 
a hundred yards below his position. The river being 
very high, a broad stream of water passed rapidly 
through the plain, of the depth of thirty or forty inches, 
which prevented any approach of troops on foot. 
Embrasures were formed, and two pieces of artillery 
under the command of Lieutenant Spotts, early on the 
morning of the 24th, were placed in a position to rake 
the road leading up the levee. 




Aware of the importance of the fort at Chef-Men- 
teur, and of the necessity of its defence to prevent the 
enemy from debarking a detachment at the head of 
Lake Borgne, and capturing the city in his rear, while 
he was engaged with the main army in front, Jackson 
renewed his cautions to Governor Claiborne, who, 



JACKSON'S PREPARATIONS. 313 

with his militia, was still stationed on the Gentilly 
road, and to Major Lacoste, who commanded the post 
at Chef-Menteur. To the latter he wrote: "The 
battery I have placed under your command must be 
defended at all hazards. In you and the valour of 
your troops I repose every confidence ; let me not be 
deceived. With us everything goes on well ; the 
enemy has not yet advanced. Our troops have co- 
vered themselves with glory : it is a noble example, 
and worthy to be followed by all. Maintain your 
post; nor ever think of retreating." Colonel Dyer, 
with two hundred men, was ordered to reinforce 
Lacoste. 

The British encampment lying between the Ameri- 
can lines and the position of General Morgan, at the 
English turn of the river, he was ordered to destroy 
the levee between him and the enemy, and interpose 
the waters of the Mississippi between them. On the 
26th he was ordered to abandon his encampment, cross 
the Mississippi, and assume a position on the right 
bank, nearly opposite to Jackson's line, and to have 
it fortified as speedily as possible. 

From every intelligence obtained through deserters 
and prisoners, it was evident that the British fleet 
would make an efibrt to ascend the river, or by some 
other means arrive on the scene of action, and co-ope- 
rate with the troops already landed. Lest this, or a 
diversion in a different quarter might be attempted, 
exertions were made to be able to resist at all points. 
The forts on the river, well supported with brave men, 
and supplied with heavy pieces of artillery, were strong 
enough in the opinion of the commanding general to 



314 



NEW ORLEANS. 



---^^^^J=. 




Lafille 



prevent the arrival of the hostile fleet in that direc- 
tion. But they might enter through the pass Bara- 
taria, land their forces, and gain a position on the 
west bank of the river, whence, co-operating with the 
forces on the east side, they might drive the Ameri- 
cans from the line they had formed, and attack Jack- 
son's line on the flank and rear. Major Reynolds 
and Captain Lafitte were accordingly ordered thither, 
with instructions to place the bayous emptying through 
this pass in the best possible state of defence. Lafitte 
was selected for this service on account of the know- 
ledge of the topography and precise situation of this 
part of the state, which he had acquired while acting 
as the leader of a small body of privateers, who made 
the island of Barataria their principal rendezvous. 



THE BARATARIA PRIVATEERS. 315 

Of these celebrated and daring men a brief notice 
here will not be considered as misplaced. When 
Guadaloupe was captured by the British, many priva- 
teers were at sea, commissioned by the government 
of that island. Prevented from returninor into the 
ports whence they sailed, and not being permitted to 
dispose of their prizes in any of the harbours of the 
United States, then at peace with Great Britain, many 
of them sailed for Carthagena, which had but recently 
declared its independence from Spain. From the go- 
vernment of Carthagena they received commissions 
to cruise against the Spaniards. In this new character, 
under the Carthaginian flag, they committed great 
havoc among the Spanish merchantmen trading in the 
Gulf of Mexico. Their prizes being too numerous 
and valuable to be trusted in any of the ports which 
were open to them, they took possession of the islands 
of Barataria and Grande Terre, lying west of the 
river Mississippi. The latter island possessed an ex- 
cellent harbour, and afforded sufficient anchorage- 
ground for all the privateers and their prizes. Here 
they established a regular depot ; and from this place 
immense quantities of goods were smuggled into New 
Orleans, in direct violation of the revenue laws of the 
United States. Their lodgment upon these islands 
was in itself illegal, as the ground belonged to the 
United States, who were bound to preserve the neu- 
trality of their territory. 

No effective measures were taken, however, to ex- 
pel them ; and the Baratarians continued their depre- 
dations upon the Spanish commerce, and sometimes 
ventured to attack vessels of other nations. They 



316 NEW ORLEANS. 

were generally regarded as pirates ; but it is probable 
that most, if not all of them, were commissioned by 
the Carthaginian government. The leaders of the 
Baratarians were two brothers named Lafitte. One 
of these was apprehended by the American authorities, 
and thrown into prison at New Orleans, before the 
arrival of the British at Pensacola. The co-operation 
of these men, the British officers believed, would be 
of great importance in the projected invasion, more 
particularly as they were intimately acquainted with 
the navigation of the coast and river. Captain Percy, 
commander of the naval forces of the British, and 
Colonel Nicholls, accordingly determined to secure it, 
if possible. Captain Lockyer, of the sloop Sophia, 
was despatched to Barataria, bearing offers of liberal 
remuneration to the Lafittes and their followers, if 
they would assist the British. Captain Percy informed 
the Baratarians, that having understood that several 
British vessels had been taken by their cruisers, he 
should require instant restitution, and in case of refusal 
destroy their vessels and property. At the same time, 
he assured them that " should they be inclined to as- 
sist Great Britain in her just war against the United 
States, the security of their property and the blessings 
of the British constitution are offered to them — and 
should they be inclined to settle on this continent, 
lands would at the conclusion of the war be assigned 
to them in his majesty's colonies in America. 

In return for all these concessions on the part of 
Great Britain, they were to abandon their predatory 
warfare against Spain, and to place their vessels under 
the control of the British government, which would 



BRITISH VISIT BARATARIA. 317 

compensate them fully for all their property. The 
Baratarians were invited to enter the British service, 
and a free pardon, was offered to all deserters, or 
other British subjects, who would return to their duty. 
To the leaders, a prospect of rank and promotion in 
the British navy was held out, to confirm them in a 
determination which the British officers doubted not 
they would form. 

The Sophia arrived off the pass of Barataria on 
the 3d of September. Having fired upon a vessel 
which was attempting to enter, she anchored at the 
entrance of the pass. Captain Lockyer, with two 
other officers, proceeded towards the shore in the pin- 
nace. They were met by the younger Lafitte, to 
whom they delivered their despatches. Having pe- 
rused them, and listened to the explanations of Captain 
Lockyer, Lafitte requested to be allowed a few days 
for consideration, when he would decide upon the 
course he should pursue. The crews of the privateers, 
suspecting the object of the visit of the British officers, 
wished to detain them ; and they were actually seized 
and confined during the momentary absence of Lafitte. 
He succeeded, however, in persuading his followers 
to release them, and they returned to their vessel ; 
Lafitte promising to give an answer in a few days to 
their propositions. On the following day he wrote to 
Captain Lockyer, requesting two weeks for prepara- 
tion, and seemingly accepting the oflfers he had made. 
On the same day he despatched a messenger to New 
Orleans, bearing a letter to Mr. Blanque, one of the 
representatives, and president of the committee of de- 
fence, enclosing all the papers left by the British, and 



318 NEW ORLEANS. 

also a letter to Governor Claiborne. To the governor 
he declared his wish to support and defend the govern- 
ment, and requested that his past infractions of the 
laws should be overlooked. He tendered his services 
to assist in defending the country, and declared, that 
should his offer not be accepted, he would leave the 
United States, that he might not be charged with as- 
sisting its enemies. 

The committee of defence was convened, and the 
papers laid before it ; and an answer was returned to 
Lafitte, that his past acts should be buried in oblivion, 
and a request that he should not act until he should 
hear again from the authorities. No further answer, 
however, was returned. The ship of Captain Lockyer 
and two other vessels appeared off the pass at the 
appointed time, and remained in the vicinity several 
days ; but not being met by Lafitte, according to the 
agreement, they returned to their rendezvous. The 
elder Lafitte was released from confinement, and per- 
mitted to rejoin his companions ; but no other notice 
was taken of the services or offers of his brother — and 
the next intelligence received from New Orleans was 
that the authorities there were fitting out an expedition 
to capture or destroy the vessels of the Baratarians. 
On the IGth of September, this expedition, under Com- 
modore Patterson, appeared off Barataria, and, to the 
astonishment of Lafitte, proceeded to take possession 
of his vessels. He would not suffer his men to molest 
the Americans ; but ordered them to retire and remain 
concealed until further orders. A detachment was 
then landed, which destroyed their town. Though 
thus treated as pirates, these brave men did not oppose 



LAFITTE JOINS THE AMERICANS. 319 

the officers of the country to whom they had offered 
their services. They retired, and waited until the 
declaration of martial law at New Orleans, and the 
certainty of an approaching invasion, again induced 
them to make a tender of their services. A full par- 
don was granted them by Governor Claiborne, for 
their numerous infractions of the revenue laws ; and 
Jackson, persuaded that their assistance could not 
fail of being very useful, accepted their offers. During 
the great battles they occupied prominent posts, and 
added greatly to the strength and skill of the American 
army. On the 8th of January, some of them were 
stationed on the line, and with distinguished skill 
served two batteries, whicli poured destruction upon 
the advancing columns. Some of them were stationed 
at Fort St, Philip, where they soon had an opportunity 
of rendering an important service to the country ; 
while others were sent to the fort of Petites Coquilles 
and the bayou St. John. Lafitte, who had already 
shown a lively zeal on behalf of his adopted country, 
was, as we have seen, despatched with Major Rey- 
nolds to defend the pass Barataria. 

With these arrangements for outward defence, 
there was httle room to apprehend or fear disaster. 
But still, what a little surprised Jackson, notwithstand- 
ing all the efforts made to prevent it, the enemy were 
daily and constantly apprised of everything that trans- 
pired in the American camp. Every arrangement 
and every change of position was immediately com- 
municated. Everything was done by the British com- 
manders to obtain this information ; prisoners were 
bribed, deserters examined, and even a flag of trij^ 
45 



320 NEW ORLEANS. 

was disregarded, and its bearer detained as a prisoner 
by Admiral Cochrane, in order if possible to discover 
the number of the American forces. The precautions 
of Jackson, however, prevented his numbers from being 
known even to his own soldiers. At thor close of the 
invasion, a British officer remarked, " Nothing was 
kept a secret from us, except your numbers ; this, al- 
though diligently sought after, could never be pro- 
cured." The vigilance of the general was increased, 
and every precaution adopted to prevent any commu- 
nication by which the slightest intelligence should be 
had of his situation, already sufficiently deplorable. 
Additional guards were posted along the swamp, on 
both sides of the Mississippi, to arrest all intercourse ; 
while on the river, the common highway, watch-boats 
were constantly plying during the night, in different 
directions, so that a log could scarcely float down the 
stream unperceived. Notwithstanding every precau- 
tion, treason still discovered avenues through which to 
project and execute her nefarious plans, and throno-h 
them was constantly affi^rded information to the 
enemy, carried to them, no doubt, by adventurous 
friends, who sought and effected their nightly passage 
through the deepest parts of the swamp, where it was 
impossible for sentinels to be stationed. 

Since their landing, the enemy had been constantly 
engaged in procuring from their shipping everything 
necessary to their ulterior designs. Complete com- 
mand of the lakes, and possession of a point on the 
margin, gave them uninterrupted ingress and egress, 
and the opportunity of conveying whatever was wanted, 
in perfect safety to their camp. They were thus en- 



DESTRUCTION OF THE CAROLINE. 321 

gacfed during the first three days after their arrival, 
and on the night of the 26th they threw up a battery 
on the bank of the river, and mounted upon it several 
pieces of heavy ordnance. In the morning a tire was 
opened from it on the Caroline schooner, lying under 
the opposite shore. 

Since the battle of the 23ci, this vessel had made 
many unsuccessful attempts to advance higher up the 
stream, and nearer to the line, for the doable purpose 
of its defence and her own safety. These attempts to 
remove her being discovered, the battery, mounting 
five guns, was opened on her, discharging bombs and 
red-hot shot. It was spiritedly answered, but with 
little injury to the battery, there being on board but 
one long twelve-pounder that could reach. The shot 
from the battery soon set her on fire ; and the flames 
bursting forth in diflferent places, and fast spreading, 
induced a fear that the magazine would soon be 
reached, and everything destroyed. One of the crew 
being killed and six wounded, and not a glimmering 
of hope entertained that she could be pteserved. Cap- 
tain Henly, her commander, issued the orders for her 
abandonment. The crew reached the shore in safety, 
and a few minutes afterwards she blew up. Captain 
Henly, with his men, repaired to the line, and oftered 
their services to Jackson as gunners. They wel'e 
gladly accepted, and the very next day they haid an 
opportunity of showing that firmness and decision on 
the land, for which on previous occasions they had 
become distinguished on board of the Caroline. 

Sir Edward Packenham had arrived on the 25th, 
and it was by his order thalt the battery was erected 



322 



NEW ORLEANS. 




English Soldiers throwing up a Battery. 



which demolished the American schooner. Gaining 
confidence from his success, he put his army in motion 
early on the next morning, the 28th, and advanced 
against the American works. At the distance of half 
a mile, his heavy artillery opened, and quantities of 
bombs, balls, and Congreve rockets were discharged. 
It was a commencement of noise and terrific grandeur, 
which he had probably calculated would excite a panic 
in the minds of the raw recruits of Jackson's army, 
and compel them to surrender, or abandon their strong- 
hold. But he did not know Jackson, and he was not 
present on the night of the 23d, or he might have 
known Jackson's men better. They had then alforded 
abundant proof, that Whether disciplined or not, they 
well knew how to defend the honour and interests of 
their country ; and had sufficient valour not to be 
nlanncd at the reality — still less, the semblance of 
danger. The British rcckets, tlough a kind of instru- 



BRITISH ATTACK THE WORKS. 323 

ment of destruction to which they, unskilled in the 
science of desolating warfare, had been hitherto stran- 
gers, excited no other feeling than that which novelty- 
inspires. At the moment, therefore, that the British 
in different columns were moving up, in all the pomp 
and parade of battle, preceded by these insignia of 
terror more than danger, and were expecting to be- 
hold their opponents tremblingly retire and flee before 
them, the batteries, well served by the Baratarians 
and seamen, opened, and arrested their advance. 

The severest check to their advance, however, was 
given by the sloop of war Louisiana, which lay in the 
river, nearly opposite the line of defence. No sooner 
did her commander. Lieutenant Thompson, discover 
the approach of the columns, than warping his vessel 
around, he brought her starboard guns to bear, and 
worked them with such effect, as soon to compel the 
enemy to retreat. Falling back to a comparatively 
safe distance, they maintained the conflict with their 
heavy artillery for seven hours, when, unable to make 
a breach in the line or silence the fire from the sloop, 
they abandoned a contest in which so few advantages 
seemed to be presented. 

The crew of the Louisiana was composed of new 
recruits and of discordant materials, — of soldiers, citi- 
zens, and seamen ; yet by the activity of their com- 
mander, they were so well perfected in their duty, that 
they already managed their guns with the greatest 
precision and certainty of effect ; and by three o'clock 
in the afternoon, with the aid of the land batteries, 
had completely silenced and driven back the enemy. 
Emboldened by the effect produced the day before on 



324 



NEW ORLEANS. 




the Caroline, the furnaces of the enemy Avere put in 
operation, and many hot shot were thrown from a 
heavy piece which was placed behind and protected 
by the levee. When the enemy retreated, those who 
attempted to carry off this piece, losirig the protection 
of the levee, were fairly exposed to the fire from the 
sloop, and suffered greatly by it. In their endeavours 
to remove, " I saw," says Commodore Patterson, " dis- 
tinctly, with the aid of a glass, several balls strike in 
the midst of the men who were employed in dragging 
it away." 

In this engagement, the Americans received very 
little injury. The Louisiana sloop, against which the 
most violent exertions were made, had but a single 
man wounded, by a fragment of a shell which burst 
over her deck. Their entire loss did not exceed nine 
killed, and eight or ten wounded ; and this small num- 
ber would have been less, if the line of defence had 
been completely finished. The enemy, being more 
exposed, acting in the open field, and in range of our 
guns, suffered considerable injury. They had at least 
one liundred and tvventv killed and wounded. 



COLONEL HENDERSON KILLED. 325 

Of the nine Americans killed, six of them were 
shot without the lines. An advanced party of the 
British had taken post behind a fence that ran obliquely 
to, and not very far from the ditch. Colonel Hender- 
son, with a detachment of two hundred men, was sent 
out to dislodge them. He was ordered to march in 
the direction of the wood, and turning the enemv's 

' CD .^ 

right, cut off his retreat. Misunderstanding the order, 
the colonel proceeded in front, in the direction of the 
river, leaving the fence between him and his enemy, 
and waded through the water, which was there nearly 
knee-deep, until he reached a dry knoll, where he 
formed and attempted to execute his order. Being in 
an open and exposed situation, directly in front of the 
British party, he was soon killed by a ball in the head. 
Deprived of their commander, and perceiving their 
situation hazardous and untenable, the detachment 
retreated to the line, with the loss of their colonel 
and five men. 

While this advance was being made, a column of 
the enemy threatened an attack on the extreme left of 
the American line. To frustrate the attempt, General 
Jackson ordered Coffee with his riflemen to hasten 
through the woods and check their approach. The 
enemy, though greatly superior to him in numbers, no 
sooner discovered his movement, than they retired 
and abandoned the attack which they had meditated. 

Frequent light skirmishes by advanced parties, 
without material eflfect on either side, were the only 
incidents that took place for several days. Colonel 
Hinds, at the head of the Mississippi dragoons, on the 
30th of December, was ordered to dislodge a party 



326 NEW ORLEANS. 

of the enemy, who, under cover of a ditch that ran 
across the plain, were annoying the American fatigue 
parties. In this advance he was unexpectedly thrown 
into an ambuscade, and became exposed to the fire 
of a fine which had hitherto lain concealed and un- 
observed. His collected conduct and gallant deport- 
ment extricated him from the danger in which he was 
placed, and gained him and his corps the approbation 
of the commanding general. The enemy, forced 
from their position, retired, and he returned to the 
line with the loss of five of his men. 

Though foiled in their attack on the 28th, the Bri- 
tish resolved to attempt another, and one which they 
believed would be more successful. Presuming their 
failure to have arisen from not having sufficiently 
strong batteries and heavy ordnance, a more enlarged 
arrangement was resorted to, with a determination to 
silence opposition, and make such breaches in the en- 
trenchment as would enable their columns to pass, 
without being exposed to any considerable hazard. 
The time between the 28th of December and 1st of 
January was accordingly spent in preparing to exe- 
cute their designs. Their boats had been despatched 
to the shipping, and an additional supply of heavy 
cannon landed through the Bayou Bienvenu, whence 
they had first debarked. 

During the night of the 31st of December they 
were busily engaged. They erected three batteries 
on the edge of a ditch, within six hundred yards of the 
line, on which they mounted eighteen and twenty-four 
pound carronades. A thick fog next morning, which 
was not dispelled until eight o'clock, by concealing 



BRITISH ERECT BATTERIES. 327 

their purpose, aided them in the plans they ^vere pro- 
jecting, and gave time for the completion of their 
works. As soon as it was sufficiently clear to distin- 
guish objects at a distance, they opened these batte- 
ries on the American lines, and a tremendous burst 
of artillery commenced, accompanied with Congreve 
rockets, which filled the air in every direction. The 
Americans, protected by a defence which they now 
believed to be impregnable, unmoved and undisturbed, 
maintained their groimd, and in the end, by their 
skilful management, succeeded in dismounting and 
silencing the guns of the enemy. 

The British, through the friendly interference of 
some traitor, having been apprised that the general 
had established his head quarters in a house at a small 
distance in the rear of his line of defence, directed 
against it their first and principal efforts, with the view 
of destroying the commander. So great was the 
number of balls thrown, that in a short time its porti- 
coes were beaten down, and the building made a com- 
plete wreck. In this dishonourable design they were^ 
however, disappointed; for, with Jackson it was a 
constant practice, on the first appearance of danger, 
not to wait in his quarters, watching events, but in- 
stantly to proceed to the line, and be ready to order 
the defence as circumstances might require. Con- 
stantly in expectation of a charge, he was never absent 
from the post of danger ; and thither he had this 
morning repaired, at the first sound of the cannon, to 
direct the defence, and inspire his troops with firmness. 

As soon as the new batteries could be seen, the 
American guns along the whole line opened to repel 
46 



328 NEW ORLEANS. 

the assault, and a constant roar of cannon on both 
sides continued until nearly noon, \vhen the batteries 
on the rii^lit were nearly beaten down, and many of the 
guns dismounted, broken, and rendered useless. That 
next the river continued its fire until three o'clock, 
when, perceiving all attempts to force a breach 
ineffectual, the enemy gave up the contest and retired. 

That they should have been again repulsed, seems 
never to have entered the minds of the assailants. So 
confident were they of success in this attack, that 
early in the morning their soldiers were arrayed along 
the ditches, in rear of their batteries, prepared and 
ready to advance to the charge the moment a breach 
could be made. There, by their situation .protected 
from danger, they remained waiting the result that 
should call them to act. But their efforts not having 
produced the desired effect, they abandoned the con- 
test and retired to their camp, leaving their batteries 
almost destroyed. 

Early in the day, Packenham made another attempt 
to turn the American left. He ordered some platoons 
of sharp-shooters to enter the woods, and by pene- 
trating into the swamp, to gain the flank of the Ameri- 
cans. In this way it was expected a diversion could 
be made, while the reserve columns, being in readiness 
and waiting, were to press forward the moment this 
object could be effected. Here too he was disappointed. 
Coffee's brigade being already extended into the swamp 
as far as it was possible for an advancing party to 
penetrate, brought unexpected dangers into view, and 
occasioned an abandonment of the project. 

That to turn the extreme left of the line was prac- 



DEFENCE OF THE SWAMP. 329 

ticable, and might be attempted, was the subject of 
early consideration, and necessary precaution had 
been taken to prevent it. Although cutting the levee 
had raised the waters in the swamp, and increased 
the difficulties of keeping troops there, yet a fear lest 
this pass might be sought by the enemy, and the rear 
of the line thereby gained, had determined the gene- 
ral to extend his defence even here. This had been 
intrusted to General Coffee; and surely a more ar- 
duous duty can vscarcely be imagined. To form a 
breastwork in such a place was attended with many 
difficulties and considerable exposure. A slight de- 
fence, however, had been thrown up, and the under- 
wood for thirty or forty yards in front cut down, that 
the riflemen stationed for its protection might have 
a complete view of any force which through this route 
might attempt a passage. When it is recollected that 
this position was to be maintained night and day, un- 
certain of the moment of attack, and that the only 
opportunity afforded the troops for rest was on logs 
and brush thrown together, by which they were raised 
above the surrounding water, it may be truly said, 
that seldom has it fallen to the lot of any to encounter 
greater hardships. But, accustomed to privation, and 
alive to those feelings which a love of country inspires, 
they obeyed without complaining, and cheerfully kept 
their position on their floating logs, until all danger 
had subsided. Sensible of the importance of the point 
they defended, and that it was necessary to be main- 
tained, be the sacrifice what it might, they looked to 
nothing but a zealous and faithful discharge of the 
trust confided to them. 



330 NEW ORLEANS. 

The American loss on the first of January, 1815, 
was eleven killed and twenty-three wounded ; that of 
the enemy was never correctly ascertained, It is 
presumed to have been at least seventy. 

The enemy's heavy shot having penetrated the 
intrenchment in many places, it was discovered not 
to be as strong as it was at first imagined. Fatigue 
parties were again employed, and its strength daily 
increased. Cotton-baors were made use of to strengthen 
and defend the embrasures along the line. A French- 
man, whose property had been thus seized, fearful of 
the injury it might sustain, proceeded in person to 
General Jackson to reclaim it. The general having 
heard his complaint, and ascertained from him that 
he was not employed in any military service, directed 
a musket to be brought to him, when placing it in his 
hand, and pointing to the cotton-lmles in the breast- 
work, replied, " There is your property. I know no- 
body that has any better right than you to defend it." 

Both armies were in daily expectation of consider- 
able reinforcements ; and they now were busily and 
constantly engaged in preparations for the approach- 
ing struggle. 

The position of the American army was in the 
rear of an intrenchment formed of earth, and which 
extended in a straight lino from the river to a consi- 
derable distance within the swamp. In front was a 
deep ditch, which had formerly been used as a mill- 
race. The Mississippi had receded and left this dry, 
next the river, though in many places the water still 
remained. Along the line and at unequal distances, 
to the centre of Honeral Carroll's command, were 



JACKSON'S SECOND LINE. 331 

guns mounted of different calibre, from six to thirty- 
two pounders. Near the river, and in advance of the 
intrenchment, was erected a redoubt with embrasures, 
commanding the road along the levee, and calculated 
to rake the ditch in front. This redoubt was defended 
by a company of the seventh regiment, under the 
command of Lieutenant Ross. The regular troops 
occupied that part of the intrenchment next the river. 
General Carroll's division of Tennessee militia was in 
the centre, who, after the 4th of January, were sup- 
ported by the Kentucky troops under General John 
Adair ; while the extreme left, extending for a consi- 
derable distance into the swamp, was protected by the 
brigade of General Coffee. General Jackson, in per- 
son, commanded the whole of this line. 

To be prepared against every possible contmgency 
that might arise, he had established another line of 
defence, about two miles in the rear of the one at 
present occupied, which was intended as a rallying 
point, if he should be driven from his first position. 
With the aid of his cavalry, to give a momentary 
check to the advance of the enemy, he expected to be 
able, with inconsiderable injury, to reach it ; where he 
would again have advantages on his side, be in a situa- 
tion to dispute a further passage to the city, and arrest 
their progress. To inspirit his own soldiers, and to 
exhibit to the enemy as great a show as possible of 
strength and intended resistance, his unarmed troops, 
who constituted no very inconsiderable number, were 
here stationed. All intercourse between the lines, 
except by confidential officers, was prohibited, and 
every precaution employed, not only to keep this want 



332 



NEW ORLEANS, 




Erection of Morgan's Batiery. 



of preparation concealed from the enemy, but even 
from being known on his own Hnes. 

The position of General Morgan, on the right bank 
of the river, was formed on the same plan with the 
line on the left — lower down than that on the left, and 
extending towards the swamp, at right angles to the 
river. The defences here Avere not strong; but, if 
properly maintained by the troops selected to defend 
them, were believed fully adequate to the purpose of 
successful resistance. Besides being strengthened by 
several brass twelve-pounders, Morgan's line was de- 
fended by a strong battery, mounting twenty-four 
pounders, directed by Commodore Patterson. 

On the 4th of January, the long-expected reinforce- 
ment from Kentucky, amounting to two thousand two 
hundred and fifty men, under the command of Major- 
General Thomas, arrived at head quarters, but so ill- 
provided with arms as to be incapable of rendering 



REINFORCEMENTS. 333 

any considerable service. The alacrity with which 
the citizens of this state had proceeded to the frontiers 
and aided in the north-western campaigns, added to 
the disasters which ill-timed policy or misfortune had 
produced, had created such a drain, that arms were 
not to be procured. They had advanced, however, to 
their point of destination, with an expectation of being 
supplied on their arrival. About five hundred of them 
had muskets ; the rest were provided with guns, from 
which little or no advantage could be expected. The 
Mayor of New Orleans, at the request of General 
Jackson, had already examined and drawn from the 
city every weapon that could be found ; while the ar- 
rival of the Louisiana militia, in an equally unprepared 
situation, rendered it impossible for the evil to be 
effectually remedied. The five hundred were divided, 
part of them being placed on the line with General 
Carroll, while the remainder were stationed on the 
right bank with General Morgan. No alternative was 
presented to Jackson but to place the remaining 
seventeen hundred and fifty at his intrenchment in the 
rear, conceal their actual condition, and by the show 
they might make, add to his appearance and numbers, 
without at all increasing his strentrth. 

Information was now received that Major-General 
Lambert had joined General Packenham with a con- 
siderable reinforcement. It had been heretofore an- 
nounced in the American camp that additional forces 
were expected, and something decisive might be looked 
for as soon as they should arrive. This circumstance, 
in connexion with others no less favouring the idea, 
had led to the conclusion that a few days more would 
47 



334 NEW ORLEANS. 

in all probability bring on the struggle which would 
decide the fate of the city. It was more than ever 
necessary to keep concealed the situation of Jackson's 
army, and, above all, to preserve as secret as possi- 
ble its unarmed condition. To restrict all communi- 
cation even between his own lines was now, as danger 
increased, rendered more important. None were per- 
mitted to leave the line, and none from without to pass 
into his camp, but such as might be implicitly confided 
in. The line of sentinels was strengthened in front, 
that none might pass to the enemy, should desertion 
be attempted. Still, notwithstanding every precaution 
and all his care, his plans and situation were disclosed. 
On the night of the 6th, a soldier from the line by 
some means succeeded in eluding the vigilance of the 
sentinels. Early next morning his departure was dis- 
covered, and it was at once correctly conjectured that 
he had gone over to the enemy, and would, no doubt, 
afford them all the information in his power to com- 
municate. This opinion, as subsequent circumstances 
disclosed, was well founded ; and dearly did the deserter 
atone for his crime. He unfolded to the British the 
situation of the American line, the late reinforcements 
which had arrived, and the unarmed condition of some 
of the troops ; but fortunately he himself was ignorant 
of the extent of this evil ; and then, pointing to the 
centre of General Carroll's division as a place occu- 
pied only by militia, recommended it as the point 
where an attack might be most prudently and safely 
made. 

During the 7th, a constant bustle was perceived in 
the British camp. Along the borders of the canal 



DEFENCE OF THE RIGHT BANK. 335 

their soldiers were continually in motion, marching 
and manoeuvring, seemingly for no other purpose than 
to conceal something; behind. To ascertain the cause 
of this uncommon stir, Commodore Patterson proceeded 
down the river, on the opposite side, and having gained 
a favourable position in front of their encampment, 
discovered them to be engaged in deepening the canal, 
and widening the passage to the river. It was no 
difficult matter to divine their purpose. No other con- 
jecture could be entertained, than that an assault was 
intended to be made on the line of defence, commanded 
by General Morgan ; which, if gained, would expose the 
troops on the left bank to the fire of the redoubt erected 
on the right ; and in this way compel them to an aban- 
donment of their position. It was important to coun- 
teract this scheme ; and measures were immediately 
taken to prevent the execution of a plan which, if 
successful, would be attended with incalculable dangers. 
An increased strength was given to the menaced line, 
the second regiment of Louisiana militia being sent 
across the river to defend it. Four hundred of the 
Kentucky militia were also ordered over, but owing 
to the difficulty of procuring arms for them, only one 
hundred and eighty crossed, and they did not arrive 
till the morning of the 8th. A little before daylight 
on that day they were despatched to aid an advanced 
party, which, under the command of Major Arnaud, 
had been sent to watch the movements of the enemy, 
and oppose their landing. 

On the left bank, where the general in person com- 
manded, everything was ready for the assault when 
it should be made. Unmoved by appearances, he 



336 NEW ORLEANS. 

anxiously desired a contest, which he beheved would 
give a triumph to his arms, and terminate the hard- 
ships of his suffering soldiers. Unremitting in exer- 
tion, and constantly vigilant, his precaution kept pace 
with the zeal and preparation of the enemy. He sel- 
dom slept ; he was always at his post, performing the 
duties of both general and soldier. His sentinels were 
doubled, and extended as far as possible in the direction 
of the British camp ; while a considerable portion of 
the troops were constantly at the line, with arms in 
their hands, ready to act on the first alarm. 

For six days had the two armies lain upon the 
same field, and in view of each other, without any- 
thing decisive being effected on either side. Twice 
since their landing had the British columns essayed 
to effect by storm the execution of their plans, and 
twice had failed — had been compelled to relinquish 
the attempt, and retire, beaten, from the contest. It 
was not to be expected that things could long remain 
in this dubious state. ^ Soldiers, the pride of England, 
the boasted conquerors of Europe, were there ; dis- 
tinguished generals their leaders, who earnestly desired 
to announce to their country and to the world their 
signal achievements. The army was splendid in all 
its appointments, from the grand park of artillery, 
down to the general band of musicians. The expecta- 
tions which had been indulged of the success of this 
expedition, were to be realized at every peril, or dis- 
grace would follow the failure. 

The 8th of January at length arrived. The day 
dawned ; and the signals intended to produce concert 
in the enemy's movements were descried. On the 



THE EIGHTH OF JANUARY. 



337 




General Packenham's band. 



left, near the swamp, a sky-rocket was perceived rising 
in the air ; and presently another ascended from the 
right, next the river. They were intended to announce 
that all was prepared and ready, to proceed and carry 
by storm a defence which had twice foiled their ut- 
most efforts. Instantly the charge was made, and 
with such rapidity, that the soldiers at the outposts 
with difficulty fled in. 

The British batteries which had been demolished 
on the first of the month, had been re-established 



338 NEW ORLEANS. 

during the preceding night, and heavy pieces of cannon 
mounted, to aid in their intended operations. These 
now opened, and showers of bombs and balls were 
poured upon the American line; while the air was 
lighted with Congreve rockets. The two divisions, 
commanded by Sir Edward Packenham in person, and 
supported by Generals Keane and Gibbs, pressed for- 
ward ; the right against the centre of General Carroll's 
command, the left against the redoubt on the levee. 
A thick fog, that obscured the morning, enabled them 
to approach within a short distance of the intrench- 
ment before they were discovered. "Jackson then 
beheld the long columns advancing, their scarlet and 
steel glittering in the morning light, like the scales of 
two large crested dragons coming up out of the sea 
to devour him. Now and then a sky-rocket shot into 
the air made wild music with the elements. The 
first ball that passed him, Jackson saluted, — 'Welcome, 
thou first visiter from a British mortar, loner have I 
sought to meet you, — ^now is our day of reckoning.' 
Slowly and steadily the long columns advanced. All 
was silence behind the parapets ; yonder is one waving 
his port-fire in the air to keep it glowing ; yonder is 
a long line, with hands on the lock, ready for the word; 
there stands Jackson like Mars's statue, his eyes gla- 
ring fire, and his drawn sword ready to wave a deadly 
salute. Presently the air is rent, and it rains down 
on the devoted columns hail and fire and brimstone, 
such as was not known since the days of Sodom — it 
seemed as if the earth belched forth thunder, and 
opened her devouring jaws to swallow them. Behold 



THE EIGHTH OF JANUARY. 339 

yon long line of glittering scarlet and steel — anon, 
smoke, and cries, and consternation."* 

The front ranks of the British were mowed down, 
and their advance arrested. In the American musketry 
there was not a moment's intermission : as one com- 
pany discharged their pieces another succeeded; al- 
ternately loading and appearing, no pause could be 
perceived — it was one continued volley, one continuous 
stream of fire. Batteries Nos. 6, 7, and 8, immediately 
in front of the advancing column, were ably served, 
and galled them with an incessant and destructive 
fire. Notwithstanding the severity of this fire, which 
few troops could for a moment have withstood, some 
of those brave men pressed on, and succeeded in gain- 
mg the ditch in front of the works, where they re- 
mained during the action, and were afterwards made 
prisoners. The horror before them was too great to 
be withstood; and already were the British troops 
seen wavering in their determination, and receding 
from the conflict. " In that wild revelry, Jackson's 
men seemed not living men of flesh and blood, but the 
spirits of some departed generation, playing with the 
cannon and the musketry; none fell, none faltered. 
That is not Jackson gliding like a shadow in the flame 
and smoke— it is the spirit of his father — his murdered 
brother — it is the spirit of his mother coming from 
her long-lost grave, and waving the death-torch in 
frantic joy over the heads of her dying murderers. 
Ah! Packenham, your boots are muddy now, who 
will clean them ? Go, Lambert, to the prison-boy of 

* Garland's Eulogy. 
48 



340 



NEW ORLEANS. 




Fall of General Gibbs. 



Camden, he will tell you how to minister to the wants 
of the sick, the wounded and the prisoner ! Gibbs can 
tell how a magnanimous soul can act towards a fallen 
foe !"* 

But the British were wavering, and thinking of 
flight. At this instant. Sir Edward Packenham, has- 
tening to the front, endeavoured to encourage and 
inspire them with renewed zeal. His example was of 
short continuance : he soon fell mortally wounded in 
the arms of an aid-de-camp, not far from the ditch. 
Generals Gibbs and Keane also fell, and were borne 
from the field dangerously wounded. At this moment 



* Garland's Eulogy. 



THE EIGHTH OF JANUARY. 341 

General Lambert, who was advancing with the reserve 
at a small distance in the rear, met the columns pre- 
cipitately retreating, and in great confusion. His 
efforts to stop them were unavailing. They continued 
retreating until they reached a ditch, at the distance 
of four hundred yards, where a momentary safety 
being found, they were rallied and halted. 

The field before them, over which they had ad- 
vanced, was strewed with the dead and dying. Dan- 
ger still hovered around ; yet urged and encouraged 
by their officers, who feared their own disgrace in- 
volved in the failure, they again moved to the charge. 
They were already near enough to deploy, and were 
endeavouring to do so; but the same constant and 
unremitted resistance that caused their first retreat, 
continued yet unabated. The batteries had never 
ceased their fire ; their constant discharges of grape 
and canister, and the fatal aim of the musketry, mowed 
down the front of the columns as fast as they could 
be formed. Satisfied that nothing could be done, and 
that certain destruction awaited all further attempts, 
they forsook the contest and the field in disorder, leav- 
ing it almost entirely covered with the dead and 
wounded. It was in vain their officers endeavoured 
to animate them to further resistance, and equally 
vain to attempt coercion. The panic produced from 
the dreadful repulse they had experienced, the plain 
on which they had acted being covered with innumera- 
ble bodies of their countrymen, while with their most 
zealous exertions they had been unable to obtain the 
slightest advantage, were circumstances well calculated 



342 NEW ORLEANS. 

to make even the most submissive soldier oppose the 
authority that would have controlled him. 

In the meantime the left of General Keane's divi- 
sion, under the command of Colonel Rennie, proceeded 
against the redoubt on the right of the American line. 
They marched under cover of some chimneys stand- 
ing in the field, until they cleared them, when they 
obliqued to the river, and, protected by the levee, ad- 
vanced until they arrived at the ditch. Their advance 
was greatly annoyed by Commodore Patterson's bat- 
tery on the right bank, and the cannon mounted on 
the redoubt; but, reaching the works and passing the 
ditch, Rennie, sword in hand, leaped on the wall, and 
calling to his troops, bade them follow. He had 
scarcely spoken, when he fell by the fatal aim of a 
rifleman. Pressed by the impetuosity of superior 
numbers, who were mountino; the wall and entering at 
the embrasures, the Americans retired to the line, in 
the rear of the redoubt. A momentary pause ensued, 
but only to be interrupted with increased horrors. 
Captain Beal, with the city riflemen, cool and self- 
possessed, perceiving the enemy in his front, opened 
upon them, and at every discharge brought the object 
to the ground. To advance or maintain the point 
gained was equally impracticable for the enemy. To 
retreat or surrender was the only alternative ; for they 
already saw the division on the right thrown into con- 
fusion, and hastily leaving the field. 

As soon as the enemy retired on the left, General 
Jackson pressed forward reinforcements to the right 
of his line, with orders to regain the redoubt. Previ- 
ously to their arrival, the enemy had abandoned the 



THE EIGHTH OF JANUARY. 343 

attempt, and were retiring. They were severely galled 
by such of the guns as could be brought to bear. The 
levee afforded them considerable protection ; yet, by 
Commodore Patterson's redoubt on the right bank, 
they suffered greatly. Enfiladed by this on their ad- 
vance, they had been greatly annoyed ; and now, in 
their retreat, were no less severely assailed. Numbers 
found a grave in the ditch before the intrenchments ; 
and the route along which they had advanced and re- 
tired was strewed with bodies. Affrighted at the car- 
nage, they moved from the scene hastily and in con- 
fusion. The batteries still continued the slaughter, 
cutting them down at every step ; safety seemed only 
to be attainable beyond the range of the cannon; 
which, to troops so severely galled, was too remote a 
relief. Urged by this consideration, they fled to the 
ditch, whither the right division had retreated, and 
there remained until the darkness of night permitted 
them to retire. The w ant of arms for his men alone 
prevented Jackson from pursuing the enemy, and gain- 
ing a complete victory by the capture of the whole 
British army. 

While the enemy thus attempted to storm the lines 
of defence on the left. Colonel Thornton, with eight 
hundred chosen troops, advanced on the line on the 
right bank of the river. Major Arnaud with two 
hundred men had been despatched on the night of the 
7th to oppose the landing of the enemy ; but he failed 
in his duty, did not approach the landing-place, but 
waited till he heard them approach to the attack, and 
then fled towards the lines. The Kentucky troops, 
having reached Morgan at five o'clock in the morning 



344 NEW ORLEANS. 

of the 8th, were sent to aid Major Arnaud. Major 
Davis, who commanded, soon met the Louisianians 
retiring, prevailed on them to make a stand, and the 
two detachments united formed behind a mill-race. 
Davis with his two hundred Kentuckians formed on 
the road next the river, supported by the Louisiana 
militia on the right. The enemy appearing, their 
approach was resisted, and a warm and spirited oppo- 
sition for some time maintained. A momentary check 
was given. The British again advanced and again 
received a heavy fire. At this moment. General 
Morgan's aid-de-camp, who was present, perceiving 
the steady advance of the enemy, and fearing for the 
safety of the troops, ordered a retreat. Confusion 
was the consequence — order could not be maintained, 
and the whole fled in haste to Morgan's line. Arri- 
ving in safety, though much exhausted, they were 
immediately directed to form on the right of the line, 
and extend themselves to the swamp, to prevent the 
enemy from turning the right flank. 

Colonel Thornton advanced to the attack in two 
divisions, against the extreme right and centre of the 
line. A severe discharge from the field-pieces sta- 
tioned along the line caused the right column to oblique 
and unite with the left, when they proceeded together 
towards the point occupied by the Kentucky troops. 
Perceiving themselves thus exposed, and not having 
yet recovered from the emotions produced by their 
first retreat, they began to give way, and very soon 
entirely abandoned their position. The Louisiana 
militia gave a few fires, and followed their example. 
Through the exertions of the officers, a momentary 



THE EIGHTH OF JANUARY. 345 

halt was effected ; but a burst of Congreve rockets, 
falling thickly and setting fire to the sugar-cane and 
other combustibles around, again excited their fears, 
and they moved hastily away ; nor could they be again 
rallied, until at the distance of two miles, having reached 
a mill-race, they were formed and placed in an atti- 
tude of defence. When the militia forsook their 
posts. Commodore Patterson, perceiving that he could 
no longer maintain his position, spiked his guns, de- 
stroyed his ammunition, and retired from a post where 
he had rendered the most important services. 

Fearful lest the guns might be unspiked and brought 
to operate against him. General Jackson hastened to 
throw detachments across, with orders to regain the 
redoubt at all hazards. To the troops on the right 
bank, he forwarded an address, with a view to excite 
them to deeds of valour, and inspirit them to exertions 
that should wipe off the reproach they had drawn 
upon themselves. Previously, however, to their being 
in readiness to act, he succeeded, by stratagem, in re- 
obtaining it, and thus spared the effusion of blood 
which would have been necessary to its accomplish- 
ment. 

The American effective force at the line, on the 
left bank, was three thousand seven hundred ; that of 
the enemy at least nine thousand. The loss of the 
British in the main attack, on the left bank, has been 
at different times variously stated. The killed, 
wounded, and prisoners, ascertained on the day after 
the battle by Colonel Hayne, the inspector-general, 
makes it twenty-six hundred. General Lambert's re- 
port to Lord Bathurst makes it but two thousand and 
49 



846 NEW ORLEANS. 

seventy. From prisoners, however, and information 
derived through other sources, it must have been even 
greater than is stated by either. Among them was 
the commander-in-chief, and Major-General Gibbs, 
who died of his wounds the next day, besides many 
of their most valuable and distino-uislied officers. 

The loss of the Americans in killed and wounded 
was but thirteen. 

On the right bank the British loss was one hun- 
dred and twenty men killed or wounded ; whilst that 
of the Americans was one killed, five wounded, and 
nineteen missing. 

The events of this day afford abundant evidence of 
the liberality of the American soldiers, and show a 
striking difference in the troops of the two nations. 
While the British soldier was allured to acts of bravery 
and duty, by the promised pillage and plunder of the 
inhabitants, and the commission of crimes abhorrent in 
the sight of earth and heaven, the American fought but 
for his country ; and, having repelled her assailants, 
instantly forgot all enmity, viewed his fallen foe as a 
brother, and hastened to assist him, even at the hazard 
of his own life. The gallantry of the British sol- 
diers, and no people could have displayed greater, had 
brought many of them even to the American ram- 
parts, where, shot down by their opponents, they were 
lying, badly wounded. When the firing had ceased, 
and the columns had retired, Jackson's troops, with 
generous benevolence, advanced over their lines to 
assist and bring in the wounded, who lay under and 
near the walls ; when, strange to tell, the enemy, from 
a ditch they occupied, opened a fire upon them, and 



THE EIGHTH OF JANUARY. 347 

though at a considerable distance, succeeded in ^vound- 
in«i several. It was enough for the Americans that 
they were doing an act which the benevolence of their 
hearts approved; and, with charitable perseverance, 
they continued to administer to the wants of these 
suffering men, and to carry them within their lines, 
although in their efforts they were continually exposed 
to danger. Let the apologist for crime say wherefore 
M^ere acts thus unpardonable committed against men 
who were administering to the wants, and relieving 
the sufierings of the dying countrymen of those M'ho 
thus repaid the most laudable humanity with wanton 
and useless cruelty. 

A communication was shortly after received from 
Major-General Lambert, on whom in consequence of 
the fall of Generals Packenham, Gibbs, and Keane, 
the command had devolved, acknowledging the kind- 
ness of the soldiers, and requesting permission to send 
an unarmed party to bury the dead lying before his 
lines, and to bring off such of them as were danger- 
ously wounded. The request to bury the dead was 
granted; though General Jackson refused to permit 
a near approach to his line, but consented that the 
wounded who were at a greater distance than three 
hundred yards from the intrenchments should be re- 
lieved, and the dead buried : those nearer were to be 
delivered over by his own men, that the enemy might 
not have an opportunity to inspect, or know anything 
of his situation. 

General Lambert, desirous of administering to the 
relief of the wounded, and that he might be relieved 
from his apprehensions of an attack, proposed about 



348 NEW ORLEANS. 

noon that hostilities should cease until the same hour the 
next day. General Jackson, cherishing the hope of 
being able to secure an important advantage by his 
apparent willingness to accede to the proposal, drew 
up an armistice and forwarded it to General Lambert, 
with directions for it to be immediately returned, if 
approved. It contained a stipulation to this effect : — 
That hostilities on the left bank of the river should be 
discontinued from its ratification, but on the rio-ht 
bank they should not cease ; and, in the interim, that 
under no circumstances were reinforcements to be sent 
across by either party. This was a bold stroke at 
stratagem ; and although it succeeded even to the ex- 
tent desired, was yet attended with considerable hazard. 
Reinforcements had been ordered over to retake the 
position lost by Morgan in the morning, and the gen- 
eral presumed they had arrived at their point of desti- 
nation ; but at this time they had not passed the river ; 
nor could it be expected to be retaken with the same 
troops who had just yielded it, when possessed of ad- 
vantages which gave them a decided superiority. This 
the commanding general well knew ; yet, to spare the 
sacrifice of his men, which, in regaining it he saw must 
be considerable, he was disposed to venture upon a 
course which might possibly succeed. It was impos- 
sible that his object could be discovered ; while he 
confidently believed the British commander would in- 
fer, from the prompt and ready manner in which his 
proposal had been met, that such additional troops 
were already thrown over as would be fully adequate 
to the purposes of attack, and greatly to endanger, if 
not wholly cut oflf, Colonel Thornton's retreat. Gen- 



JACKSON GRANTS AN ARMISTICE. 349 

eral Lambert's construction was such as had been 
anticipated. Although the armistice contained a re- 
quest that it should be immediately signed and returned, 
it was neglected to be acted upon until the next day ; 
and Thornton and his command were in the mean 
time, under cover of the night, recrossed, and the 
ground they had occupied left to be peaceably pos- 
sessed by the original holders. The opportunity thus 
afforded of regaining a position on which, in a great 
degree, depended the safety of those upon the opposite 
shore, was accepted with an avidity its importance 
merited, and immediate measures were taken to in- 
crease its strength, and prepare it against any future 
attack that might be made. 

Early the next morning (January 9th), General 
Lambert returned his acceptance of what had been 
proposed, with an apology for having failed to reply 
sooner ; and an armistice was concluded, to continue 
until two o'clock in the afternoon. The dead and 
wounded were then removed from the field, which, for 
three hundred yards in front of Jackson's line, they 
almost literally covered. The American soldiers 
within the line of demarcation between the two camps 
delivered over to the British, who were not permitted 
to cross it, the dead for burial, and the wounded on 
parole, for which it was stipulated an equal number of 
American prisoners should be restored. 

There is one fact told, which clearly shows the 
opinion entertained by the British of the American 
militia, and the little fear they had of any determined 
opposition from them. When repulsed by them, the 
British officers were fully persuaded that the informa- 



350 



NEW ORLEANS. 




Burying the dead. 



tion given them by the deserter on the night of the 
6th was false ; and that instead of pointing out the 
ground defended by the mihtia, he had referred them 
to the place occupied by the best troops. Enraged at 
what they believed to be an intentional deception, they 
called their informant before them to account for the 
mischief he had done. It was in vain he urged his 
innocence, and, with the most solemn protestations, 
declared he had stated the fact truly as it was. They 
could not be convinced, — it was impossible that they 
had contended against any but the best disciplined 
troops ; and, without further ceremony, the poor fel- 
low, suspended in view of the camp, expiated on a 
tree, not his crime — for what he stated was true — but 
their error in underrating an enemy who had already 
afforded abundant evidences of valour. In all their 
future trials with Americans, may they be no less de- 
ceived, and may they discover in the yeomanry of the 
country a determination to sustain with firmness a 



RETREAT OF THE BRITISH. 351 

government which knows nothing of oppression ; but 
which, on an enlarged and hberal scale, aims to secure 
the independence and happiness of man. If the people 
of the United States — free almost as the air they 
breathe — shall at any time omit to maintain their pri- 
vileges and their government, then, indeed, will it be 
idle longer to speak of the rights of men, or of their 
capacity to govern themselves : the dream of liberty 
must fade away and perish for ever, no more to be 
remembered or th ought of. 

After the battle of the 8th of January, Jackson 
could have captured every man of the British force 
that was upon the land, if he had been supplied with 
arras, according to his own repeated urgent requests, 
and agreeably to the promises that were made him. 
Not having arms, he was compelled to let the remain- 
der of the " heroes of the Peninsula" escape. They 
reached Lake Borgne, and there they embarked, leav- 
ing behind them the contempt of the faithful Ameri- 
cans, and the sympathetic sorrows of the ti-aitors. 

" No great merit is to be attached to the fact that 
the flash of gunpowder and the whiz of bullets had no 
terrors for Andrew Jackson. There were thousands 
that feared them as little as he did ; while not one in 
a whole generation could be found with his powers of 
command, that fecundity of genius, by which, under 
the most trying circumstances, he created unforeseen 
resources — raised, as it were, from the ground, hosts 
of intrepid warriors, and provided every vulnerable 
point with ample means of defence — that instinctive 
superiority, self-reliance, and impulsive energy, which 
at once rallied around him universal confidence, im- 
50 



352 NEW ORLEANS. 

pressed one irresistible movement on all the jarring 
elements of a mixed population ; roused their slumber- 
ing spirits, and difliised through every rank the noble 
ardour that flowed in his own bosom — that consum- 
mate prudence which defeated all the combinations of 
a sagacious enemy — entangled them in the very snares 
they had spread for him, and succeeded in effecting 
their utter destruction, without exposing the lives of 
his own soldiers. These qualities of mind constitute 
his greatness, and not brute courage. 

" When the 8th day of January came the work was 
done. The greatest enemy had been conquered. By 
his wise plans and indomitable energy, Jackson had 
made certain and inevitable the glorious results of that 
day. He had already fought the battle and won the 
victory before the day of carnage came. 

" But it has been said that there is no great merit 
in fighting behind cotton-bags. And some are unge- 
nerous enough to detract from that orlorious achieve- 
ment, on the ground that those who accomplished it 
stood in comparative security. Why then were not 
the results on the opposite side of the river as brilliant 
as those on the left ? There were like fortifications, 
and the friends, neighbours, and companions of those 
on the left to defend them. No difference in the strength 
of position or the spirit of the men ; yet, on the right 
bank, though opposed by one division only, they fled 
at the first fire — while those on the opposite side never 
flinched from their duty; though they had to meet the 
whole force of the British army, led on by the most 
renowned generals. Why this difference? On the 
one side there was Jackson to aw e into obedience, 



BOMBARDMENT OF FORT ST. PHILIP. 353 

animate, and direct ; while on the other, there was no 
master-spirit Uke him to ' ride upon the whirlwind and 
direct the storm.' All praise, then, is due to the great 
chieftain, who w^on a victory as brilliant as any re- 
corded in the annals of warfare ; as important, in its 
consequences to the present and future generations, 
and to all mankind, as any battle ever fought in the 
tide of time."* 




Bombardment of Fort St PhiUp 

In the morning of the 9th of January, a British 
squadron, consisting of two bomb-vessels, a brig, sloop, 
and schooner, appeared below Fort St. Philip, and 
commenced a bombardment of that fort, with the 
intention of forcing a passage up the river, and aiding 
the beaten army. The fire was returned from the 
fort with such effect as to cause the vessels to retire 
to the distance of two miles, out of range of the Ame- 
rican guns ; but having it in their power to reach the 
fort with the shot from their large mortars. The 
bombardment continued without intermission from 
the 9th until the night of the 17th, when a heav}' 

* Gai'land's Eiilo2v 



354 NEW ORLEANS. 

mortar having been prepared and turned against them, 
they suspended their operations, and on the morning 
of tlie 18th, before dayhght, they retired. Tlie failure 
of this squadron to effect a passage up the river, per- 
haps determined General Lambert in the course he 
immediately adopted. He decamped on the night of 
the 18th, and embarked for his shipping on Lake 
Borgne, leaving behind him eighty of his soldiers, who 
were too severely wounded to be removed. He took 
such precautions, aided by the nature of the ground 
over which he was retreating, as prevented pursuit in 
sufficient numbers to secure any valuable result. 

Thus, at last, in total disappointment, terminated 
an invasion, from which much had been expected. 
Twenty-six days ago, flushed with the hope of certain 
victory, had this army erected its standard on the 
banks of the Mississippi. At that moment they would 
have treated with contempt an assertion, that in ten 
days tliey would not enter the city of New Orleans. 
How changed the portrait from the expected reality ! 
But a few days since, and they were confident of the 
hour of triumph, and successful termination of their 
labours ; now, vanquished, beaten, and cut to pieces, 
at midnight, under cover of its darkness, they are 
silently abandoning their camp— breaking to pieces 
their artillery — fleeing from an enemy, whom but a little 
while before they held in utter contempt, and submit- 
ting their wounded to his clemency. A demonstration 
is given, which a Briton short of absolute proof would 
have been among the last to have admitted, that four- 
teen thousand troops, who often against the sternest 
opposition had signalized themselves in battle, and 



JACKSON RETURNS TO NEW ORLEANS. 355 

marched to victory, could, under any circumstances, 
be beaten and one-third of them destroyed by an in- 
ferior number of men, who scarcely knew how to form 
in column, or deploy into lines : but they knew what 
was of infinitely more service — in nerving with strength 
the soldier's arm, and dispelling everything like fear — 
that they were contending for their rights against a 
power which was causelessly seeking their destruction 
— for privilege against usurpation— for liberty, in op- 
position to oppression— that they were fighting for a 
country they loved, and for enjoyments which, if once 
lost, could never be regained. Prompted by these 
considerations, they had entered the field, and under 
their influence had acted. For their toils and priva- 
tions, they were amply remunerated — they had met 
their own and the country's expectations — had saved 
a city from destruction — its inhabitants from cruelty 
and dishonour, and were carrying with them that con- 
solation, which the recollection of a faithful discharge 
of duty never fails to inspire. 

Having established such strong posts as he thought 
would prevent the enemy from again reaching the 
Mississippi, General Jackson with his remaining 
forces returned to New Orleans. His approach to 
the city was hailed with acclamations. It was not 
the kind of applause which, resulting from fear, is 
often extended by the subject to some conqueror or 
tyrant returning in triumph ; but that which was ex- 
tended by citizens to a citizen, springing from af- 
fection, and founded in the lionest sincerity of tho 
heart. All greeted his return, and hailed him as their 
deliverer. 



356 NEW ORLEANS. 

But, amidst the expressions of thanks, honours, 
and congratulations heaped upon him, he remembered 
that, to an energy above his own, and to a wisdom 
that controls the destiny of nations, he was indebted 
for the glorious triumph of his arms. Relieved from 
the arduous duties of the field, his first concern was 
to draw the minds of all, in thankfulness and adoration, 
to that sovereign mercy, without whose lid and inspi- 
ring counsel, vain are all earthly efforts. The 23d 
having been appointed a day of public thanksgiving 
for the happy deliverance which had just been effected, 
he repaired to the cathedral. The church and altar 
were splendidly adorned, and more than could obtain 
admission had crowded to witness the ceremony. A 
grateful recollection of his exertions to save the coun- 
try was cherished by all; nor did the solemnity of 
the occasion even here restrain a manifestation of 
their regard, or induce them to withhold the honour 
so nobly earned. Children, robed in white, and re- 
presenting the different states, were employed in strew- 
ing the way with flowers. In the centre of the grand 
square a triumphal arch was erected, supported by 
six columns. On the right, in front of the arch, was 
a young lady representing Justice, and on the left 
another, representing Liberty. Under the arch were 
two young children, each on a pedestal, holding a 
crown of laurel. 

As the general passed under the arch, he received 
the crowns of laurel, and proceeded to the church, 
where he was met by the reverend administrator of the 
diocese. Addressing him in a strain of pious eloquence, 
the clergyman entreated him to remeinber that his 



JACKSON'S RETURN TO NEW ORLEANS. 357 

splendid achievements, which were echoed from every 
tongue, were to be ascribed to Him, to whom all praise 
was due. " Let the votary of blind chance deride our 
credulous simplicity ; let the cold-hearted atheist look 
up for the explanation of such important events to the 
mere concatenation of human causes ; to us, the whole 
universe is loud in proclaiming a Supreme Ruler, who, 
as he holds the hearts of men, holds also the thread 
of all contingent occurrences. Whatever be his in- 
termediate agents, still on the secret orders of his all- 
ruling providence depend the rise and prosperity, as 
well as the decline and downfall of empires. From 
his lofty throne above, he pioves every scene below ; 
now curbing, now letting loose the passions of men ; 
now infusino; his own wisdom into the leaders of na- 
tions ; now confounding their boasted prudence, and 
spreading upon their councils a spirit of intoxication, 
and thus executing his uncontrollable judgments on the 
sons of men, according to the dictates of his own un- 
erring justice." He concluded his impressive address, 
by presenting the general with a wreath of laurel, 
woven for the occasion, and which he desired him to 
accept, as " the prize of victory, and the symbol of 
immortality." 

General Jackson, accepting the pledge presented 
by the reverend prelate as a mark of distinguished 
favour, returned him a reply no less impressive than 
the address he had received. It was in these Mords: 
"Reverend Sir, — I receive, with pleasure, the sym- 
bolical crown which piety has prepared. I receive it 
in the name of the brave men who have so effectually 
seconded my exertions for the preservation of the 



358 NEW ORLEANS. 

country — they well deserve the laurels which their 
country will bestow. 

" For myself, to have been instrumental in the de- 
liverance of such a country, is the greatest blessing 
that Heaven could confer. That it has been effected 
with so little loss — that so few tears should cloud the 
smiles of our triumph, and not a cypress leaf be inter- 
woven in the wreath which you present, is a source 
of the most exquisite enjoyment. 

" I thank you, reverend sir, most sincerely, for the 
prayers which you offer up for my happiness. May 
those your patriotism dictates for our beloved country 
be first heard ; and may mine for your individual 
prosperity, as well as that of the congregation com- 
mitted to your care, be favourably received — the pros- 
perity, the wealth, the happiness of this city, will then 
be commensurate with the courage and other qualities 
of its inhabitants." 

The general was then conducted in, and seated 
near the altar, when the organ and church ceremonies 
commenced, and inspired every mind with a solemn 
reverence for the occasion. These being ended, he 
retired to his quarters, to renew a system of defence 
which should ensure entire safety, and ward off any 
future danger that might arise. Generals Coffee and 
Carroll were instructed to resume the position they had 
occupied prior to the 23d of December above the city ; 
while the rest of the troops were arranged at different 
points, where necessity seemed most to require it, and 
where they might be convenient for action on the first 
appearance of danger. 

The enemy, mortified at their unexpected disaster, 



FORT BOWYER TAKEN. 359 

determined to obtain some advantage, however slight, 
in some measm*e to counterbalance their disgrace; 
and for this purpose, made a second attack on Fort 
Bowyer. This fort was still defended by Major 
Lawrence, with three hundred and sixty men. On the 
8th of February, the whole British force commenced 
the attack, both by land and water. Making their 
approaches on the land side with the greatest caution, 
on the morning of the 11th everything was ready to 
attack and carry the place. Lawrence, seeing that it 
would only be madness any longer to resist a force at 
least twenty times his number, then agreed to a capitu- 
lation, and the fort was surrendered. 

On the 13th of March, an express reached head- 
quarters, with despatches from the war department, 
announcing the conclusion of a peace between Great 
Britain and the United States. A similar communica- 
tion was shortly afterwards received by General Lam- 
bert from his government, and on the 19th military 
operations by the two armies entirely ceased. It was 
at this time that General Jackson was fined in the 
sum of one thousand dollars for contempt of court — 
an event which has already been adverted to. 

It was now indispensable to hasten the necessary 
arrangements to relieve from the toils of the field 
those brave men who had so loni^ been strus^orlina in 
their country's defence. Previously to breaking up 
his camp, he addressed his army, and declared the 
high sense he entertained of those who had toiled with 
him in the field, and who, by perseverance and fidelity, 
had obtained safety for their country, and honour for 
themselves. This address ought to be read, preserved, 
51 



360 NEW ORLEANS. 

and cherished, in every country of the world : it is as 
follows : 

" The major-general is at length enabled to perform 
the pleasing task of restoring to Tennessee, Kentucky, 
Louisiana, and the territory of Mississippi, tiie brave 
troops who have acted such a distinguished part in the 
war which has just terminated. In restoring these 
brave men to their homes, much exertion is expected 
of, and great responsibility imposed on the command- 
ing officers of the different corps. It is required of 
Major-Generals Carroll and Thomas, and Brigadier- 
General Coffee, to march their commands, without 
unnecessary delay, to their respective states. The 
troops from the Mississippi territory and state of 
Louisiana, both militia and volunteers, will be imme- 
diately mustered out of service, paid, and discharged. 

" The major-general has the satisfaction of an- 
nouncing the approbation of the president of the 
United States to the conduct of the troops under his 
command, expressed in flattering terms, through the 
honourable the secretary of war. 

" In parting with those brave men, whose destinies 
have been so long united with his own, and in whose 
labours and glories it is his happiness and his boast 
to have participated, the commanding-general can 
neither suppress his feelings, nor give utterance to them 
as he ought. In what terms can he bestow suitable 
praise or merit, so extraordinary, so unparalleled ? 
Let him, in one burst of joy, gratitude, and exultation, 
exclaim — ' These are the saviours of their country — 
these the patriot soldiers who triumphed over the in- 
vincibles of Wellington, and conquered the conquerors 



FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE ARMY. 361 




Jackson's Farewell Address to the Army at New Orleans. 



of Europe !' With what patience did you submit to 
privations — with what fortitude did you endure fatigue 
- — what valour did you display in the day of battle ! 
You have secured to America a proud name among 
the nations of the earth — a glory which will never 
perish. 

" Possessing those dispositions which equally adorn 
the citizen and the soldier, the expectations of your 
country will be met in peace, as her wishes have been 
gratified in war. Go, then, my brave companions, to 
your homes ; to those tender connexions, and blissful 
scenes which render life so dear — full of honour, and 
crowned with laurels \\hich will never fade. When 



362 NEW ORLEANS. 

participating, in the bosoms of your families, the en- 
joyment of peaceful life, with what happiness will you 
not look back to the toils you have borne — to the 
dangers you have encountered? How will all your 
past exposures be converted into sources of inexpress- 
ible delight ! Who, that never experienced your suf- 
ferings, will be able to appreciate your joys? The 
man who slumbered ingloriously at home, during your 
painful marches, your nights of watchfulness, and 
your days of toil, will envy you the happiness which 
these recollections will afford — still more w ill he envy 
the gratitude of that country which you have so emi- 
nently contributed to save. 

" Continue, fellow-soldiers, on your passage to your 
several destinations, to preserve that subordination, 
that dignified and manly deportment which have so 
ennobled your character. 

" While the commanding general is thus giving in- 
dulgence to his feelings towards those brave com- 
panions who accompanied him through difficulties and 
danger, he cannot permit the names of Blount, and 
Shelby, and Holmes, to pass unnoticed. With what 
generous ardour and patriotism have these distin- 
guished governors contributed all their exertions to 
provide the means of victory ! The recollection of 
their exertions, and of the success which has resulted, 
will be to them a reward more grateful than any which 
the pomp of title, or the splendour of wealth can bestow. 

" What happiness is it to the commanding general, 
that, while danger was before him, he was, on no oc- 
casion, compelled to use towards his companions in 
arms either severity or rebuke I If, after the enemy 



DEPARTURE FOR NASHVILLE. 363 

had retired, improper passions began their empire in 
a few unworthy bosoms, and rendered a resort to en- 
ergetic measures necessary for their suppression, he 
has not confounded the innocent with the guilty-— the 
seduced with the seducers. Towards you, fellow-sol- 
diers, the most cheering recollections exist ; blended, 
alas ! with regret, that disease and war should have 
ravished from us so many worthy companions. But 
the memory of the cause in which they perished, and 
of the virtues which animated them while living, must 
occupy the place where sorrow would claim to dwell. 
" Farewell, fellow-soldiers. The expression of your 
general's thanks is feeble, but the gratitude of a coun- 
try of freemen is yours — yours the applause of an 
admiring world." 

The Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi troops 
then took their departure ; and General Gaines being 
invested with the command of the southern depart- 
ment. General Jackson soon left New Orleans for 
Nashville. The good wishes and friendship of the 
people followed him ; and he carried with him a con- 
sciousness of having done his duty. A tedious jour- 
ney of eight hundred miles brought him to Nashville, 
where an innnense concourse was collected, to greet 
his return, and welcome his arrival. They had long 
known him as among the number of their best and 
most respectable citizens ; but now curiosity had a 
new incentive. Until now, they had not beheld him 
as one, who, to protect his country, knew no difficulty 
too great to be encountered, — who, by his firmness, 
and unconquerable perseverance amidst surrounding 
dangers, had shielded her from foreign and intestine 



364 



NEW ORLEANS. 




Return to Nashville. 



foes. An elegant address, drawn up and delivered by 
Mr. Grundy, welcomed his return. Having received 
this further display of public confidence, the more 
grateful because from those who were his acquain- 
tances, neighbours and friends, he returned home, to 
enjoy that repose, to which, for eighteen months, he 
had been a stranger. 

Thus did General Jackson put an end to the second 
war with Great Britain, and return to his home. 
Taking into consideration the comparative strength 
of the two armies, and the comparative loss, there is 
no battle on the pages of history which will compare 
with that of New Orleans. It was this battle that 
crowned the military career of Andrew Jackson ! It 
was this battle that gave him a ftime and reputation 
imperishable in all future time. And now that his 



JACKSON'S MILITARY REPUTATION. 365 

name and his acts have become the property of his 
country, the voice of emulation and discord is hushed 
for ever — that full justice will be done him, which in 
his life may have been partially withheld. His con- 
duct as a soldier on the field of New Orleans, entitles 
him to a place in no way inferior to the best general 
of the age. The memory of that battle will be per- 
petual ; together with Yorktown, and Monmouth, and 
Bunker Hill — Waterloo, Austerlitz, and Jena — Mara- 
thon and Thermopylae, it will go down to the latest 
posterity. 

" To Jackson's fame, the honour of two successful 
wars may be added. Few, indeed, have had the same 
duties to perform in the service of their country — and 
none have discharged them with more personal credit 
to themselves and to the nation. He has never had 
the charge of cowardice imputed to him, in the times 
of the highest political excitement — he has never been 
charged with an ambition which was irreconcileable 
with the best interests of his country. Like the im- 
mortal Washington, when he had finished the work 
of doing battle for the republic, he retired to the scenes 
of private and domestic life, until called on by the 
people to act in a more exalted sphere. It has never 
been imputed to him, that any other motive impelled 
him than an honest and patriotic desire to serve the 
sacred cause of freedom — to maintain and perpetuate 
those principles of government which had their origin 
in the dawn of the revolution. Honest, patriotic, 
brave — he was ever ready to draw the sword from the 
scabbard when duty called him, and as willing to re- 
turn it when the day of duty was done. The fame 



366 



NEW ORLEANS. 



of the soldier, whicli in his case was exalted, was 
never used for purposes of personal aggrandizement, 
or popular promotion. Generous to a fault, courteous 
and agreeable, he gained with the soldiery an influence, 
which, with an evil mind, he could have converted to 
the lasting injury of his country. He shared with them 
their wants and privations — was a friend — their com- 
panion — in a word, their regard and affection for him 
was unbounded."* 

* Wright's Eulogy. 





CHAPTER XVI. 



THE SEMINOLE WAR. 




-Ji ^ HE -svar-drum was destined soon 

ao-ain to summon General Jackson 
"^^ to the fields of Florida. He was 
only allowed a short season for re- 
pose. He arrived at Nashville on 

_^ the 15th of May, 1815. Some time 

previous to his arrival he received a message from 
52 



A? 



368 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

Washington, asking him to proceed to that place, and 
lend his aid in the organization of a peace establish- 
ment in the army. His immediate compliance was 
impossible, on account of indispensable duties devolving 
upon him in the district under his command. It was 
necessary for him to return " to his own fields and his 
own pursuits, to cherish his plantation, to care for his 
servants, to enjoy the affection of the most kind and 
devoted wife, whom he respected with the gentlest 
deference, and loved with an almost miraculous 
tenderness. 

" And there he stood, like one of the mightiest 
forest trees of his own west, vigorous and colossal, 
sending its summit to the skies, and growing on its 
native soil in wild and inimitable magnificence, care- 
less of beholders. From all parts of the country he 
received appeals to his political ambition, and the se- 
vere modesty of his well-balanced mind turned them 
all aside. He was happy in his farm, happy in se- 
clusion, happy in his family, happy within himself."* 

But his country still required his services. The 
government decided that ten thousand men should 
constitute the peace establishment; and the whole 
country was divided into two military departments, — 
the north and the south. Major-General Jackson 
was appointed commander-in-chief of the southern 
division. He accepted the command and established 
his head quarters at Nashville, where he received many 
tokens of the gratitude and respect of his fellow-citi- 
zens. The legislature of Tennessee voted him the 

* Bancroft's Eulogy. 



JACKSON'S VISIT TO WASHINGTON. 869 

thanks of the state, and presented to him a gold medal ; 
at the same time presenting elegant swords to his 
compatriots, Generals Coffee and Carroll. 

Towards the end of the year 1815, General Jack- 
son, for the first time since the declaration of war 
against Great Britain, repaired to the national seat of 
government. As he passed along through the cities and 
towns which he had helped to defend from destruc- 
tion, he was everywhere welcomed with joy, and re- 
ceived with that marked attention which a grateful and 
an admiring people bestow upon a public benefactor. 

Although he deprecated all parade and ostentatious 
show, yet he found it impossible to avoid a reciproca- 
tion of the civility and hospitality which he every- 
where met. When he arrived at Washington, he 
was received by President Madison Mith that dig- 
nified cordiality which always distinguished the fathers 
of our republic. He saw with pain the barbarous 
marks left by the British under Ross. He saw the 
ruins of the capitol, the President's house, and the 
other public buildings, and his bosom was filled with 
feelings of heart-felt gratitude when he remembered 
that he had been selected by Providence as the instru- 
ment to prevent the same signs of desolation from 
appearing in New Orleans. 

"At all the public parties which the general attended, 
at Washington, at Georgetown, at Alexandria, and 
other places in the neighbourhood, he showed that, 
though in time of war a soldier must be a lion to his 
enemies, he could, in time of peace, be a lamb to his 
friends ; that he could smooth ' the wrinkled front'' of 
the soldier, and enjoy the ' lulling tune of the lute.' At 



370 



THE SEMINOLE WAR. 




JMadisoii. 



the table, he could enjoy the luxuries it afforded, with 
the elegance of the gentleman — at a levee, or a draw- 
ing-room, he could repay the civilities he received — and 
in the ball-room, could, if he chose, display the refined 
accomplishments of the courtier. Mrs. Jackson ac- 
companied her husband to Washington ; and every- 
where received that distinguished respect which her 
own merit, as well as admiration for the hero of New 
Orleans, induced every one to bestow. 



JACKSON'S VISIT TO NEW ORLEANS. 371 

"But amidst the fascinating blandishments of re- 
fined society, and the alluring charms of elegant amuse- 
ments, he never forgot his duty to his countrymen. 
More than one-half of one of the largest countries of 
the world, in point of territory, had been assigned to 
his command. Though the olive-branch of peace 
waved over his country, where the clarion of war had 
long assailed the ears of his countrymen, he never re- 
mitted his exertions to secure, in time of peace, by effi- 
cient regulations and necessary establishments, the 
rights and blessings which he had defended by the 
sword."* 

Accordingly, in the early part of the year 1816, he 
repaired to New Orleans, in order so to station the 
few troops under his command as completely to defend 
the southern border of his district from the inroads 
of savages, and the depredations of whites. It would 
be useless to attempt to describe the enthusiasm with 
which he was welcomed back to New Orleans. He 
was entering a city which he had saved from total de- 
struction, and he was received by men whose lives he 
had defended, by fathers who owed to him the existence 
of their children, by the wealthy whose property he 
had preserved, and by wives and daughters whose 
honour he had protected. No wonder, then, that the 
whole population strove each to excel his neighbour in 
warmth and hospitality. His reception was equal to 
that accorded to Washington on his first tour after 
the revolution, and that of La Fayette, when he returned 
to visit the land in whose defence he had so materially 
aided. But General Jackson was not on a tour of 

* Civil and Military History of Jackson. 



372 



THE SEMINOLE WAR. 



„^^^, 




Jackson's visit to New Orleans. 



pleasure. He had duties to perform. The suffering 
health of the soldiery called for his care, and the di- 
vision of the south was threatened by the Seminole 
Indians in Florida, aided again by the Spanish au- 
thorities. He was aware that the only way to restrain 
their barbarity, or to punish them when the offence 
was committed, was to station a suitable force on their 
borders, under the command of an inteljio-ent and tried 
officer. The troops were accordingly removed to the 
Alabama territory, and stationed along the boundary 



INDIAN NEGOTIATION. 373 

of Florida in small forts, having every convenience, 
and designed especially to favour their health. 

Jackson's next care was to secure to the United 
States the land he had won from the Indians. For 
this purpose, he entered into a negotiation with the 
Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, and Creek tribes. 
Tliough these lands had been obtained by conquest, 
after a sanguinary war, brought on, as we have seen, 
by the savages themselves, and afterwards ceded to 
the United States by a treaty with them, in which 
they acknowledged their gratitude for being permitted 
to retain any territory ; yet, to pacify them completely, 
and to extinguish their claim to the lands for ever, 
General Jackson engaged, in behalf of his government, 
and with the advice and consent of that government, 
to pay to the Creeks ten thousand dollars a year for 
ten years, and to the Cherokees ten thousand dollars 
a year for eight years. This measure, strongly evin- 
cing the moderation and good feeling of the American 
government towards the natives, was gladly acquiesced 
in by them, and they ever after considered General 
Jackson their warmest friend. 

He then repaired to Huntsville, in Mississippi, when 
by order of the government he published an order, en- 
joining all citizens of the United States, to abstain from 
encroachments upon Indian lands, and ordering such 
as had settled on them to remove within a limited 
number of days. This injunction, though severe upon 
those who had occupied such lands through misappre- 
hension, yet was required by that justice and equity 
which the government has always exercised towards 
the Indian tribes. 



374 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

It was during the autumn of 1816, that the ladies 
of South Carohna, his native state, presented to Gen- 
eral Jackson, through Colonel Hayne and Major 
Gadsden, a splendid silver vase, as a manifestation of 
their respect. The vase was elevated on a pedestal, 
having figures and inscriptions attached to it, emblema- 
tical of the country's glory, and that of him for whom 
it was designed. Upon one side of it, there was a 
striking representation of the battle of New Orleans, 
and an inscription, "Eighth of January, 1815", and 
upon the other, " Presented by the ladies of South Ca- 
rolina to Major-General Andrew Jackson." This 
present was peculiarly grateful to the feelings of the 
general, coming, as it did, from the ladies of his native 
state, the worthy descendants of those matrons, whose 
benevolence to their countrymen during the revolution 
will never be forgotten. 

In October, 1816, General Jackson returned to his 
head quarters at Nashville, where he occupied himself 
with his domestic concerns, and in regulating and per- 
fecting the police of his army. It was not long, how- 
ever, until he was again called to face the enemies of 
his country. 

The whole of the Floridas at this time belonged to 
Spain ; but the authority of that government was con- 
fined almost exclusively within the walls of Pensacola 
and St. Augustine, where small garrisons were main- 
tained. Adventurers from every country, fugitives 
from justice, and absconding slaves, found an asylum 
in the territory. Several tribes of Indians, strong in 
the number of their warriors, remarkable for their fe- 
rocity, and whose settlements extended to the southern 



CONDITION OF FLORIDA. 375 

limits of the United States, inhabited those provinces. 
These different hordes of people connected together, 
disregarding on the one side the authority of Spain, 
and protected on the other by an imaginary Hne sepa- 
rating Florida from the United States, violated the 
laws prohibiting the introduction of slaves, practised 
various frauds on the revenue, and committed every 
kind of outrage on the peaceable citizens of the United 
States, which their proximity enabled them to perpe- 
trate. 

In 1817, Amelia Island was invaded by a small 
band of adventurers, not exceeding one hundred and 
fifty in number, and wrested from the inconsiderable 
Spanish force stationed there. This band of pirates 
and smugglers held the island thus gained for several 
months, and converted it into a port of entry, through 
which they smuggled their goods into the United 
States. During that time, but one efibrt was made 
by the Spaniards to dislodge them, which, by its fail- 
ure, clearly proved how completely extinct the Spanish 
authority had become ; as the conduct of those ad- 
venturers, while in possession of the island, as dis- 
tinctly showed the pernicious purposes for Avhich their 
combination had been formed. 

Florida had in fact become the theatre of every 
species of lawless adventure. With little population 
of its own, the Spanish authority almost extinct, and 
the colonial governments, in a state of revolution, 
having no pretensions to it, and sufficiently employed 
in their own concerns, it was, in a great measure, de- 
relict, and the object of cupidity to every adventurer. 
A system of buccaneering was rapidly organizing over 
53 



376 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

it, which menaced in its consequences the lawful com- 
merce of every nation, and particularly of the United 
States; while it presented a temptation to every 
people, on whose seduction its success principally 
depended. 

In regard to the United States, the pernicious ef- 
fects of this unlawful combination were not confined 
to the ocean. With the Indian tribes, who constituted 
the effective force in Florida, these adventurers had 
formed at an early period a connexion, with a view 
to avail themselves of that force to promote their own 
objects of accumulation and aggrandizement. It is 
to the interference of some of these adventurers, par- 
ticularly to two of them, Nicholls and Woodbine, of 
Pensacola and Fort Bowyer memory, that the Semi- 
nole war is principally to be traced. These men, to- 
gether with other foreign refugees, remained in Florida 
after the conclusion of the war with Great Britain, 
and practised upon the savage propensities of the In- 
dians, misrepresenting their claims and titles to lands 
lying within the United States. Men who thus con- 
nect themselves with savage conununitics, and stimu- 
late them to war, which is always attended on their 
part with the most shocking acts of barbarity, deserve 
to be viewed in a worse light than the savages. They 
would certainly have no claim to an immunity from 
the punishment which, according to the rules of war- 
fare practised by the Indians, might justly be inflicted 
on the savages themselves. 

It was incumbent on the United States not to per- 
mit the inability of Spain to sustain her authority in 
the Floridas, to be perverted by foreign adventurers 



BUCCANEERS. 



377 




Monroe. 



and savages, to purposes so destructive to the lives 
of the citizens and the highest interests of the govern- 
ment of the United States. The right of self-defence 
never ceases. It is among the most sacred, and alike 
necessary to nations and individuals. The object of 
the invaders of Amelia Island being distinctly seen, 
the President of the United States, Mr. Monroe, thought 
it his duty to suppress the establishment, and it was 
accordingly done. Captain Henly, of the United States 



878 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

navy, took possession of the island on the 22d of 
December, 1817. 

The combination in Florida for the unlawful pur- 
poses stated, the acts perpetrated by that combination, 
and above all, the incitement of the Indians to mas- 
sacre American citizens, of every age, and of both 
sexes, merited a like treatment, and received it.* 

After having been driven from Pensacola and the 
Barrancas by General Jackson, Colonel Nicholls re- 
moved to the Apalachicola river, where he established 
a fort within the limits of Florida, and near St. Mark's. 
This fort was made an asylum for the base and des- 
perate of every people and nation ; all vagrant Indians, 
fugitive negroes, Spanish renegadoes, British male- 
factors, outlaws, and pirates, were associated here to 
foment and breed plots of blood and torture, murder 
and treason. Nichols retained this post several months 
after the ratification of the treaty of Ghent, by which 
peace was proclaimed between the United States and 
Great Britain. He occupied his time in collecting and 
training the savasres and neorroes, and stimulating them 
to hostilities with the United States. The most nu- 
merous occupants of the interior, were the Seminole 
Indians, originally outcasts from the Creeks, and other 
Indian tribes. The hostile Creeks, who had been ex- 
pelled from their lands by General Jackson, together 
with other fugitives, from the more northern tribes, had 
united with the Seminoles, under the name of Red-sticks. 
This name was given to them because, at their prin- 
cipal village of Mickasuky, they had erected a high 

* Monroe's second Annual Message, 



INDIAN DEPREDATIONS. 379 

pole, on which to hang the scalps of murdered Ameri- 
can citizens, and painted it red, to denote their thirst 
for the blood of the whites. Such were the tools which 
NichoUs, and a few other designing white men, found 
ready prepared for their hands. 

These hostile companies were encouraged by the 
Spanish authorities, who represented their governnjent 
as their protector, and the Americans as their ene- 
mies, having no wish but to seize their lands and ex- 
terminate their race. These garrisons, and the 
British traders, purchased whatever plunder the In- 
dians could take from the people of Georgia and Ala- 
bama, and gave them, in exchange for it, weapons, 
powder and ball. 

As early as September, 1812, the Seminole Indians 
and negroes, instigated by the Governor of St. Augus- 
tine, attacked the defenceless settlers on the St. John's 
and St. Mary's rivers ; on the St. John's, they killed 
and scalped eight or ten persons ; and on the Georgia 
side of the St. Mary's, they killed and scalped one, and 
wounded two more. In the same month, an attack 
was made upon Captain Williams, who, with a non- 
commissioned officer and nineteen men, was escorting 
some provision wagons through the state of Georgia. 
They were assailed by a party of Indians and negroes, 
to the number of fifty or sixty ; who killed the two 
officers, wounded six men, captured the wagons and 
carried them to St. Augustine. Thus they continued 
to make depredations upon the people of the United 
States, until the arrival of Nicholls and Woodbine, 
when their operations began to assume more form, 



380 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

and they afterwards evinced the presence of an active 
and thinking leader. 

The correspondence of Colonel Nicholls with Colonel 
Hawkins, shows that he did not view the peace con- 
cluded between the United States and Great Britain, 
as putting an end to his operations at his fort, or to 
his negotiations with the Indians against the United 
States. In his letter of the r2th of May, 1815, to 
Colonel Hawkins — a letter that would disgrace a 
Vandal — he exults in the security of his position — pre- 
scribes limits to the people of the United States — and 
threatens with instant death every one who shall ven- 
ture to transgress them. In this letter he says : — 
" I have ordered the Indians to stand on the defensive, 
and have sent them a large supply of arms and am- 
munition; and told them to put to death, without 
mercy, any one molesting them. They have con- 
sented to wait your answer before they take revenge. 
But, sir, they are impatient for it, well armed as 
the whole nation now is, and stored with ammunition 
and provisions, having a strong hold to retire to, in 
case of a superior force appearing. 

*' I am also desired to say to you, by the chiefs, 
that they do not find that your citizens are evacuating 
their lands, according to the ninth article of the treaty 
of peace ; but that they were fresh provisioning the 
forts. They also request me to inform you, that they 
have signed a treaty of offensive and defensive alliance 
with Great Britain, as well as one of commerce and 
navigation ; which, as soon as ratified at home, you 
shall be made more fully acquainted with." 

Nicholls having estabhshed his government, begins 



CONDITION OF FLORIDA. 



381 




to think of foreign alliances. He assumes the diplo- 
matist — is converted into a minister plenipotentiary 
of hoth parties — makes, in behalf of his subjects, a 
treaty, offensive and defensive, and a treaty of com- 
merce and navigation with Great Britain, and proceeds 
to England to obtain their ratification. Francis Hil- 
lishago, one of the principal chiefs of the Seminoles, 
accompanied him ; and in the meantime his people 
were left to themselves ; who commanded or governed 
them is not distinctly known, until the unfortunate 
Ambrister and Arbuthnot, the one an Englishman and 
the other a Scotchman, succeeded to the government. 
It is, however, well known that these desperadoes 
were not inactive ; that the unfortunate inhabitants of 
the frontiers of Georgia and Alabama felt tlie full 



382 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

weight of the vengeance threatened by Nicholls, and 
that the Spanish officers beheld with perfect com- 
posure these atrocities committed within their own 
jurisdiction. So far from putting a stop to them, the 
governor of Pensacola encouraged, and endeavoured 
to protect them. Early in 1816, General Jackson 
wrote to him, complaining of this nuisance. The 
governor, in his answer, dated May 26th, 1816, pre- 
tended to deprecate its existence, and to regret his 
want of authority and means to break it up ; promised 
to write for orders, but hoped that the United States 
would not violate the neutrality of Spain by attempting 
to suppress it themselves. 

After waiting two months, and the governor of Pen- 
sacola still manifesting no symptoms of suppressing the 
establishment. Colonel Clinch, with a detachment of 
United States troops, and five hundred friendly Indians, 
under the command of M'Intosh, were despatched 
with orders to reduce the negro fort on the Apala- 
chicola. On the approach of their enemy, Nicholls and 
Woodbine, who had returned from England, exacted 
an oath from those in the fort, that they would not suf- 
fer an American to approach alive ; and then giving it 
up to them, retired and secured their own safety. 

To supply Colonel Clinch's forces with munitions 
and provisions for the siege, two schooners from New 
Orleans proceeded up the Apalachicola, under convoy 
of two gun-boats, on the 10th of July, 1816. When 
near the fort, a watering party of seven men, from the 
schooners, was surprised by an ambuscade of negroes 
and Indians ; five were killed, one escaped, and one 
was captured, tarred and feathered, and burnt at the 



DESTRUCTION OF THE NEGRO FORT. 383 

Stake. The gun-boats, having but a twelve-pounder 
and twenty-five men each, were deemed insufficient by 
Colonel Clinch to attack the fort, which was defended 
by about four hundred negroes and Indians, and for- 
tified with twelve pieces of artillery. Their com- 
mander, consequently, was cautioned against attempt- 
ing any offensive operations. Not deterred by this, he 
warped up sufficiently near to reach it, and commenced 
firing hot shot. One of the shot entered the principal 
magazine, and the fort was blown up. The destruction 
was complete ; two hundred and seventy of the enemy 
were killed ; most of the remainder were badly wounded, 
and only three of the whole number escaped unhurt. 
An immense quantity of arms and munitions of war, 
designed for supplying the Indians and negroes with 
the means of annoying the frontier settlers, fell into the 
hands of the conquerors ; and two chiefs, who had di- 
rected the torture of the captured prisoner, were given 
over to the tender mercies of M'Intosh's Indians. 
Thus was one of these hordes of savages broken up.* 
In East Florida, the war was not so easily ended. 
This region was under the immediate command of 
General Gaines, who, on the 30th of October, 1817, 
received a letter from the war department, which, 
after directing him to call a detachment of the Georgia 
militia into service, states " that the assurance of an 
additional force, the president flatters himself, will at 
least have the effect of restraining the Seminoles from 
committing further depredations, and perhaps of in- 
ducing them to make reparation for the murders which 

* Moore's Indian Wars. 
54 



384 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

they have committed ; " should they, however, persevere 
in their refusal to make such reparation, it is the wish 
of the president that you should not, on that account^ 
pass the line, and make an attack upon them within 
the limits of Florida, until you shall have received 
further instructions from this department. You are 
authorized to remove the Indians still remaining on 
the lands ceded by the treaty made by General Jackson 
with the Creeks." 

The assurance of an additional force did not re- 
strain the Indians from committing further depreda- 
tions, and they manifested no disposition to make 
the reparation alluded to by the secretary of war. In 
the fall of 1817, while her husband was absent attend- 
ing to the business of his farm, the Indians attacked 
the dwelling-house of Mrs. Garrett, and no resistance 
being offered, they murdered and scalped her and one 
of her children, while the youngest, a mere infant, was 
dashed to pieces on the door-post. 

Towards the end of November, a war-party of 
Seminoles captured an American, and conveyed him 
immediately to Mickasuky, their principal village, 
where it appears Francis Hillishago and his family 
dwelt. " The American, whose name was M' Krimmon, 
was ordered to be immediately burned to death. The 
stake was prepared, M' Krimmon, with his head shaved, 
was bound to it, and wood was piled up about him. 
When the Indians had finished their dance, and a fire 
was about to be kindled, a daughter of the chief, 
named Milly, who had witnessed the preparations with 
a sad countenance, flew to her father, Hillishago, and 
upon her knees, begged that he would spare the priso- 



RESCUE OF M'KRIMMON. 



885 




Rescue of M'Krimmon. 



ner's life; and it was not until, like the celebrated 
Pocahontas, she showed a determination to perish 
with him, that her father consented to prolong his life 
for the present. It was still his intention, if he could 
not sell the victim for a certain sum, to have carried 
his former purpose into effect ; but on offering him to 
the Spaniards at St. Mark's, the demanded ransom, 
seven and a half gallons of rum, was paid for him, and 
he was transferred to the Spaniards, and afterwards 
liberated by the Americans at the capture of St. Mark's. 
" After Hillishago fell into the hands of the Ameri- 
cans and was hanged, his family, consisting of a wife 
and several daughters, surrendered themselves to the 
Americans at St. Mark's. The youngest daughter, 
Milly, about fourteen years of age, was treated with 
great attention by all the officers, for having saved 



386 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

the life of M'Krinimon. She was said to have been 
very handsome. When M'Krinunon heard of her 
being among the captives, he went and offered him- 
self to her as her husband. She would not, however, 
receive him, until satisfied that he was prompted to 
offer himself from other motives than a sense of the 
supposed obligation of his life having been saved by 
her."* 

The instructions from the war department, dated 
October 30th, 1817, did not reach General Gaines 
until the middle of November, when he immediately 
issued his orders for the removal of the Creeks still 
remaining in the ceded territory. He sent an officer 
to Foultown, an Indian settlement a few miles below 
Fort Scott, to summon its chief, Hornotlimed or Ho- 
nmttlemico, to repair to the fort and answer for his 
conduct in not quitting the territory. The Indian re- 
turned a haughty refusal, either to appear at the fort 
or to quit the territory. Major Twiggs being de- 
spatched on the next day, with two hundred and fifty 
men, to bring the chiefs and warriors to Fort Scott, 
was attacked by the Indians ; but he repulsed and put 
them to flight, after killing four warriors, and wound- 
ing a few more. Four days after, the same officer 
was sent to destroy the town, which he found deserted. 

Fort Scott was situated on the Flint river, near its 
junction with the Chattahoochee. Being in want of pro- 
visions and military stores, General Gaines ordered a 
supply from Mobile. Accordingly, Major Muhlenburg 
sailed with three vessels for the fort, but when he 

* Drake's Book of tlie Indians. 



SURPRISE OF LIEUTENANT SCOTT. 387 

reached the mouth of the Apalachicola, he was de- 
tained by contrary winds, and the sickness of his crew. 
There were also on board of his vessels, volunteers for 
the several forts, with their wives and children. On 
the 30th of November, a party of forty men, under 
Lieutenant Scott, was sent down the river to their as- 
sistance. The boat reached the vessels in safety, and 
Muhlenburg transferred twenty of the men to his ves- 
sels to aid him in workmg them up the river; and their 
places being filled by the sick, together with seven 
women and four children, Scott started to return to 
the fort. At the mouth of Flint river, the boat was 
attacked by an ambuscade of Indians under the direc- 
tion of Hornotlimed, and all were killed, except six sol- 
diers, who escaped to the opposite shore by swimming, 
and one woman, who was carried off a prisoner. Four 
little children were taken by the legs and their brains 
dashed out against the side of the boat. The scalps 
of the killed were taken to the Mickasuky village, and 
added to the trophies on the red pole of the Indians. 
The vessels, retarded by the current and northerly 
winds, and constantly assailed by strong parties of In- 
dians, were in the greatest peril, when another boat, 
secured by bulwarks, was sent down to their aid. 
With this assistance, and a favourable change of wind, 
the vessels at last reached Fort Scott. 

Before the news of the massacre of Lieutenant 
Scott and his party reached Washington, the secre- 
tary of war had despatched three other orders to Gen- 
eral Gaines. The first of these, dated December 2d, 
1817, remarks: "The state of our negotiations with 
Spain, and the temper manifested by the principal Eu- 



J88 



THE SEMINOLE WAR. 




Indians attacking Lieutenant Scott's party. 



ropean powers, make it impolitic, in the opinion of the 
president, to move a force at this time into the Span- 
ish possessions,ybr the mere purpose of chastising the 
Seminoles for depredations which have heretofore been 
committed by them." By the second, bearing date the 
9th of December, General Gaines was instructed, that 



GAINES ENTERS FLORIDA. 389 

should the Indians appear in force on the Spanish side 
of the hne, and persevere in committing hostilities 
within the limits of the United States, he was to exer- 
cise sound discretion as to the propriety of crossing the 
line, for the purpose of attacking them and breaking 
up their towns. The third, dated December 16th, fur- 
ther instructed him, that " should the Seminole Indians 
still refuse to make reparation for their outrages and 
depredations on the citizens of the United States, it is 
the wish of the president that you consider yourself at 
liberty to march across the Florida line, and to attack 
them within its limits, should it be found necessary, 
unless they should shelter themselves under a Spanish 
fort. In the last event, you will immediately notify 
this department." In obedience to this last order. 
General Gaines entered Florida, and proceeded to- 
wards Amelia Island, where a considerable number of 
the enemy were reported to have established themselves. 
On receiving intelligence of the destruction of Lieu- 
tenant Scott and his party, the president determined 
on taking more vio-orous measures against the hostile 
Seminoles. The time had arrived when it was abso- 
lutely necessary for the United States to exert their 
power to put an end to the war. The safety of the 
people, the supreme, irrevocable law of all nations, de- 
manded that this savage war, carried on by hostile 
Indians and negroes, and excited by foreign emissaries, 
who had identified themselves with the savages, be 
terminated. Accordingly, on the 26th of December, 
the secretary of war addressed a letter to Major-Gen- 
eral Jackson, then at his residence in Nashville, order- 
ing him to repair, with as little delay as possible, to 



390 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

Fort Scott, and assume the immediate command of the 
forces in that quarter of the southern division. After 
statinor the number of regulars on whom he could 
rely to be eight hundred, and that General Gaines had 
estimated the strength of the enemy to be twenty-seven 
hundred, he was directed, if, in his opinion, the troops 
of the United States were too few in number to beat 
the enemy, to call upon the executives of the adjacent 
states for additional forces ; and to adopt the neces- 
sary measures to terminate a conflict which it had 
ever been the desire of the president, from conside- 
rations of humanity, to have avoided, but which was 
now made necessary by the continued hostility of the 
Indians. The orders previously given to General 
Gaines were enclosed, as the rules by which his con- 
duct was to be governed. These orders were received 
by General Jackson on the 12th of January, 1818. 

General Gaines had called upon the executive of 
Georgia for a reinforcement of militia ; but the miser- 
able system of temporary drafting had been adopted ; 
a thousand men had been enlisted for three months ; 
but the delays incident to the movements of militia, 
and the want of seasonable supphes, had so consumed 
the time, that their term of service expired before 
they could be brought into active service, and a second 
detachment of a thousand men was ordered out to sup- 
ply their places. 

The practice of provisioning troops by contract, 
instead of a commissariat, which had been adopted as a 
matter of economy since the commencement of the 
war in 1812, we have already seen attended with 
great injury to the troops under General Jackson, in 



SUBSISTENCE OF THE ARMY. 391 

the prosecution of the Creek war. It was equally in- 
jurious to the active services required in the south. 
The rise in the price of provisions, and the unforeseen 
difficulties attending their transportation, caused a loss 
to the contractor ; one of his principal agents failed ; 
the provisions were not furnished; the troops were 
put on short allowance ; and Fort Scott was on the 
point of being abandoned, on account of actual star- 
vation. The sound views of General Jackson on this 
subject are worthy of notice, as coming from one 
who experienced all the evils of the system, and who 
perfectly understood its operation. He remarks, " The 
mode of provisioning an army by contract is not 
adapted to the prompt and efficient movement of 
troops. It may answer in time of peace, where a fail- 
ure or delay cannot produce any serious ill conse- 
quences ; but where active operations are necessary, 
and success dependent on prompt and quick move- 
ments, no dependence is to be placed on the contractor^. 
His views are purely mercenary ; and where the sup- 
plies will not insure a profit, he hesitates not on a 
failure, never regarding how far it may defeat the 
best-advised plans of the commander-in-chief. Expe-- 
rience has confirmed me in this opinion, alnd the recent 
failure has prompted me again to express it." 

Knowing thus the dependence to be placed on 
militia and army contractors. General Jacksoil deter- 
mined rather than trust to the latter, " to subsist on 
the enemy;" and that he might not be disap- 
pointed in the call which he made upon the governor 
of Georgia for militia, he resolved to carry with him 
his old fellow-soldiers, the Tennessee volunteers. He 
66 



392 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

accordingly, lost no time, but immediately issued the 
following address, exhorting them to resume their 
annour : — 

" Volunteers of Tennessee ! — Once more, after a 
repose of three years, you are summoned to the field. 
Your country having again need for your seiTices, 
has appealed to your patriotism, and you have met it 
promptly. The cheerfulness with which you have 
appeared to encounter the hardships and perils of a 
Avinter's campaign, affords the highest evidence of 
what may be expected of you, in the hour of conflict 
and trial. 

" The savages on your borders, unwilling to be at 
peace, have once more raised the tomahawk to shed 
the blood of our citizens, and already they are as- 
sembled in considerable force, to carry their murderous 
schemes into execution. Not contented with the liberal 
policy that has from time to time been shown them, 
but yielding themselves victims to foreign seducers, 
they vainly think to assail and conquer the country 
that protects them. Stupid mortals ! They have 
forgotten too soon the streams of blood their ill-fated 
policy heretofore cost them. They have forgotten 
too, that but a short time since, conquered, and ahnost 
destroyed, they were only preserved by the mildness 
and hmnanity of that country which they now oppose. 
They must now be taught, that however benevolent 
and humane that country is, she yet has sacred rights 
to protect, and will not permit with impunity the 
butchery of her peaceable and unoffending citizens. 

" Brave volunteers ! — The enemy you are going to 
contend with, you have heretofore met and fought. 



THE TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS. 393 

You have once done it, and can again conquer them. 
You go not to fight, but to be victorious ; remember, 
then, that the way to prove successful, is not by being 
inattentive to the first duties of a soldier, but by bear- 
ing and executing with cheerfulness the orders of su- 
periors, and being constantly mindful of the obligations 
you are under to your country and to yourselves. 
Subordination and attention to discipline are all-im- 
portant and indispensable ; without them, nothing hke 
system can be preserved, and this being wanted, no- 
thing favourable can result. But in you every con- 
fidence is reposed. Your general will not believe that 
brave men, who have so promptly come forth at the call 
of their country, will withhold their assent to regu- 
lations which can alone insure them safety and success. 
Hardships and dangers are incident to war ; but brave 
men will bear them without murmuring or complaining. 
Knowing you to be such, no fears are entertained but 
that every duty imposed on you, will be met with 
promptness and cheerfulness. 

" Your general goes before you to open the way, 
and prepare for your reception. Confiding in your di- 
ligence and exertions, he will expect your arrival at 
your destined point, without unnecessary delay — led 
by Colonel Arthur P. Hayne, an officer in whom he 
has every confidence. This being eflfected, he will 
place himself at your head, and with you share the 
dangers and hardships of the campaign." 

Like the war-horse at the sound of the trumpet, the 
brave volunteers of Tennessee no sooner heard the 
voice of their beloved general and companion, calling 
upon them to follow him, than they bounded to meet 



394 



THE SEMINOLE WAR. 




To Arms ! 



him. At the appointed time, the required number 
repaired to the rendezvous at Fayetteville, and under 
the command of Colonel Hayne, inspector-general ol" 
the department of the south, took up the line of march 
for Fort Scott, by the way of Fort Gaines. yi. •^ 

On the 16th of January, 1818, the secretary of 
war wrote to General Gaines, informing him that the 
honour of the United States required that the war 
with the Seminoles should be terminated speedily, 
and with exemplary punishment for hostilities so un- 
provoked ; and that orders were issued, directing the 
war to be carried on within the limits of Florida, should 
it be necessary to its speedy and effectual termination. 
These orders, it was presumed, he had received. That 
as soon as it was kno^vn that he had repaired to 



JACKSON TAKES THE COMMAND. 395 

Amelia Island, in obedience to them, and it being un- 
certain how long he might be detained there, the state 
of things at Fort Scott made it necessary to order 
General Jackson to take command there. From his • 
known promptitude, it was presumable that his arrival 
might be soon expected. 

A letter from the secretary of war to General 
Jackson, dated January 29th, 1818, acknowledged 
the receipt of letters from him of the 12th and 13th 
of that month ; and states that the measures he had 
taken to bring an efficient force into the field were 
approved ; and it concluded by expressing a confident 
hope that a speedy and successful termination of the 
Indian war would follow his exertions. 

General Jackson left Nashville on the 22d of Jan- 
uary, 1818, and, having made arrangements with 
Colonel Gibson, his quartermaster-general, for for- 
warding provisions from New Orleans^ he proceeded 
rapidly towards the seat of war. On the 10th of Feb- 
ruary, he arrived at Fort Hawkins, and on the 14th, 
at Hartford in Georgia, where he used every exertion 
to hasten the movements of the militia called out by 
the governor. At Fort Early, on the 26th, he put 
himself at the head of the Georgia militia, who mus- 
tered nine hundred bayonets, and some friendly 
Creeks. With this brigade, he reached Fort Scott on 
the 9th of March, and the next morning assumed the 
chief command. He found the troops at the fort in a 
starving condition, with only one quart of corn to each 
man, and a few lean cattle. Having bravely deter- 
mined to subsist on the enemy until the arrival of pro- 
visions from New Orleans, he immediately ordered the 



396 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

cattle to be slaughtered, the provisions distributed to 
the troops, and the line of march to be taken up at 
noon. 

Here he received a letter from the secretary of war, 
dated February 6th, informing him of the entire ap- 
probation of the president of all the measures he had 
adopted to terminate the war ; and stating that the 
honour of the army, as well as the interest of the 
country, required that it should be terminated as soon 
as practicable. He was also instructed to restore 
peace on such conditions as would make it honourable 
and permanent. 

( He crossed the Flint river on the 10th of March, 
and advanced with his army towards the mouth of the 
Apalachicola. On the 16th, he arrived at Prospect 
Bluff, the site of the Indian and liegro fort which had 
been blown up by the fire of the American gun-boats, 
in the month of July, 1817. This Jackson ordered 
to be rebuilt, designing to use it as a depot for the 
provisons expected from New Orleans. He called it 
Fort Gadsden, in honour of one of his aids. General 
Gaines joined him on his march to Fort Gadsden. 

It was the design of General Jackson to provision 
his posts on the Florida border, by shipping the pro- 
visions from New Orleans, and distributing them to the 
different posts, by means of the rivers which, passing 
through Florida, communicate with the Gulf of Mexico. 
This, he well knew, could not be done against the will 
of the Spanish authorities, without violating the rights 
of that nation. Fort Crawford beintj situated on the 
head waters of the Escambia river, which commu- 
nicates with the gulf, by die Bay of Pensacola, and 



JACKSON IN FLORIDA. 



397 




Rebuilding of Fort Gadsden 



cannot be entered without passing the fortress of Bar- 
rancas, he wrote to the governor of West Florida, 
saying, that he would send his provisions for Fort 
Crawford by that way, and that any interruption in 
their passage, would be considered as an act of hos- 
tility against the United States. The governor de- 
manded duties on the stores, but permitted the vessels 
containing them to sail past without attempting to in-^ 
terrupt them. 

C Having completed the necessary arrangements at 
Fort Gadsden, General Jackson started from that 
place, on the 26th of March, for the purpose of driving 
the enemy from the Mickasuky villages. When he 
had nearly reached these villages, on the 1st of April, he 



56 



398 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

was joined by the main body of the Tennessee volun- 
teers, who, having heard of the starving condition of 
the garrisons stationed at Forts Gaines and Scott, had 
taken a circuitous route through Georgia, to obtain 
subsistence. As he approached the principal village, 
his advanced guard had a smart conflict with a party 
of Indians, ^vho fled as soon as the main body ap- 
proached. When the army entered the towns, they 
were found deserted by their inhabitants. The wigwams 
were burned, the adjacent country reconnoitred, and 
an abundant supply of corn and cattle obtained. In 
the council-house of the principal village, Jackson 
found more than fifty fresh scalps, and in the centre 
of the town, the old Red-stick standard stood crowned 
with the scalps, recognised by the hair as those torn 
from the heads of the unfortunate companions of Lieu- 
tenant Scott. 

Hearing that a body of five hundred negroes and 
Indians had approached St. Mark's, and having been 
refused admittance, had demanded its surrender ; and 
knowing the duplicity of Luengo, the governor, who 
now pretended friendship for the Americans, while a 
short time before he had, to the best of his ability, 
aided and protected their enemies — knoAving these 
things. General Jackson left M'Intosh with his war- 
riors to scour the country in the neighbourhood of 
the Mickasuky village, and hastened to prevent the 
surrender of the strong post of St. Mark's to the ene- 
mies of the United States. From the moment that 
the Negro-Indian fort was destroyed, St. Mark's had 
become the depot and storehouse of the savages. 
There their councils were held, there they sold their 



CAPTURE OF ST. MARK'S. 399 

bloody trophies, torn from murdered Americans, and 
there they received the instruments and means of 
future murders. Luengo was the adviser, aider, and 
protector of the savages, and the friend and coadjutor 
of Alexander Arbuthnot, a noted instigator of the 
Indians to hostility. When Jackson appears on the 
scene, Luengo changes his tone ; he declares that he 
had acted in this way only from policy ; and now, 
from an associate of the Indians, he becomes the friend 
of the Americans, and evinces a sycophancy which 
every brave man cannot but despise. He concludes 
a letter to General Jackson in these words, " May 
God preserve your excellency, is my prayer. I kiss 
your excellency's hand, and am your most faithful 
and obedient servant."* 

(^t. Mark's was now threatened by the hostile In- 
dians and negroes, and the Spanish garrison was 
unable to defend it against them. It was therefore 
necessary to occupy it with an American garrison, to 
prevent it from falling into the hands of the Seminoles, 
who, uncontrolled by Spain, might issue forth at any 
time, murder the citizens of the United States, and, 
when closely pursued, fall back upon St. Mark's, their 
strong hold. Accordingly, General Jackson marched 
to St. Mark's, took possession of it without the least 
resistance, and shipped the Spanish authorities and 
garrison to Pensacola. 

( It was near St. Mark's that Alexander Arbuthnot 
was captured. He was a Scotchman by birth, his 
ostensible occupation that of a trader. He was known 

*See the Speech of Mr. Holmes of Massachusetts, in Congress, 
January, 1819. 



400 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

to be engaged in an extensive commercial intercourse 
with the Indians and negroes of East Florida. He 
sold them arms and ammunition?) It was reported to 
General Jackson that he was the successor of Nicholls ; 
that, knowing of the treaty of Fort Jackson, of the 
9th of August, 1814, he had pretended to the Indians 
that they were not bound by it, but were relieved by 
the treaty of Ghent ; that he had called for succours 
from the British government ; that he was the asso- 
ciate and confidant of the commandant of St. Mark's ; 
and that he had long furnished the Indians with the 
weapons of destruction. It was also reported that he 
had a store at the Suwanee villages, and was the 
owner of a small schooner, by means of which he im- 
ported lead and powder from the Bahamas. Consi- 
dering these grounds sufficient for suspicion. General 
Jackson put him in close confinement, until he could 
get an opportunity to inquire further in the matter. 

It was here also that two of the principal hostile 
chiefs were captured. Captain M'Keever, who had 
brought supplies from New Orleans, had been ordered 
to cruise near the mouth of the river St. Mark's, at 
the head of Apalachee bay, in order to intercept any 
Indians who might endeavour to escape in that direc- 
tion. By hoisting a British flag, M'Keever succeeded 
in decoying on board two of the hostile chiefs. One 
of them, Hornotlimed, was the chief who had com- 
manded at the inhuman murder of Lieutenant Scott 
and his party. A deed more brutal and savage can- 
not be found in the annals of Indian warfare. He 
was hung, not as an enemy, but as a base murderer, 
marked w ith every cruelty, and stained with the blood 



AMBRISTER TAKEN. 401 

of women and children. The other chief, Francis 
Hillishago, was also hung. It was he who was the 
principal instigator of this war. It was he who went 
to England with Nicholls, where he had received large 
presents from the king's stores ; but of these he was 
chiefly defrauded afterwards by the notorious Wood- 
bine, who it seems accompanied him in his travels. 
He was also presented with the commission of a brig- 
adier general, for his services in the British cause 
during the American war ; so that in executing him, 
General Jackson did not merely hang an Indian, but 
a British officer also. 

Leaving a small garrison at St. Mark's, General 
Jackson, on the 9th of April, marched for the Suwanee 
villages, which lay about one hundred and seven miles 
to the 'eastward of St. Mark's. On the 10th, he was 
rejoined by the friendly Indians under M' In tosh, and 
overtaken by the rear of the volunteers from Tennessee. 
On the 16th, as he approached the towns, a party of 
six mounted Indians was discovered. They immedi- 
ately fled to the towns and gave the alarm. Jackson 
arrived there at sunset. The Indians at first made a 
show of resistance, but fled after eleven of them had 
been killed. Two prisoners were taken. The next 
day the villages were destroyed ; a considerable quan- 
tity of corn and cattle secured, and the adjacent coun- 
try traversed in pursuit of the enemy, ^rbuthnot's 
schooner was captured at the mouth of the Suwanee 
river, and employed in transporting the sick and bag- 
gage of the army to St. Mark's. On the 18th, Robert 
C. Ambrister, late a lieutenant of marines in the Bri- 



402 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

tish service under Nicholls, was captured in the neigh- 
bourhood of the villages. Anibrister was accused of 
leading and inciting the Indians to make war on the 
Americans, and was detained a close prisoner until 
the general found an opportunity to examine the 
evidence on which this accusation rested. ) 

Jackson now thought that he had completely sub- 
dued the Indians. He saw their forces divided and 
scattered, and deemed his presence in that part of 
the country no longer necessary. He accordingly 
discharged the Georgia militia and M'Intosh's Indians ; 
and on the 21st of April, with the regular troops and 
Tennessee volunteers, commenced his return to St. 
Mark's, where he arrived on the evening of the 25th, 
having performed a march of one hundred and seven 
miles in five days, through the swamps and wilder- 
nesses of East Florida. ^ 
f On the next day, he convened a special court for the 
purpose of investigating the charges exhibited against 
Alexander Arbuthnot and Robert C. Ambrister ; with 
instructions to record all the documents and testimony 
in the several cases, and give their opinion as to the 
guilt or innocence of the prisoners, and what punish- 
ment (if any) should be inflicted. This court of 
inquiry was composed of Major-General Gaines) pre- 
sident, three colonels, three lieutenant-colonels), four 
majors, two captains, and a lieutenant, who was ap- 
pointed recorder. This court continued in session 
until the night of the 28th, during which time they 
elicited the following facts with reference to the 
prisoners. 

In June, 1817, Arbuthnot had obtained a power of 



TRIAL OF ARBUTHNOT. 403 

attorney from twelve Seminole chiefs, in very general 
terms, authorizing him to act in the affairs of their na- 
tion as he thought proper. He had represented to 
the Red-sticks, or fugitive Creeks, and induced them 
to believe, that they would be supported by the British 
government in a war with the United States for the 
recovery of their lands. He had written to the British 
ministry, to their ambassador at Washington, and to 
the governor-general of the Bahamas, soliciting assist- 
ance for this object. In his capacity of trader, he 
had sold the Indians powder and ball, which might be 
applied to the purposes of war as well as of huntings 
He had induced the Indians to make prisoners of 
Hambly and Doyle, two Spaniards settled on the Apa- 
lachicola, friendly to the Americans, by representing 
that they were instrumental in bringing upon them the 
forces of the United States. While the army was on 
its march from Mickasuky to St. Mark's, Arbuthnot, 
being at the latter place, wrote a letter to his son, ad- 
vising him of its approach, and that it was probably 
destined for Suwanee ; and directing him to take the 
measures necessary to secure his property ; to give 
information to the inhabitants, and advise them, by no 
means, to attempt to fight the Americans, but to save 
themselves by an immediate flight.*/ It was Arbuth- 
not who endeavoured to instil into me minds of the 
Indians, hatred and hostilities towards the Americans ; 
it was he who poured the secret poison of discontent 
into their minds ; it was he who awakened the sleep- 
ing tiger, and let him loose against American citizens, 

* Perkins. 



404 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

with all his native ferocity whetted by exasperation ; 
it was he who sharpened with new keenness the edge 
of the tomahawk ; it was he who used the deluded 
savages as the instrument of his wicked purposes, as 
the man who stabs a fellow-being to the heart makes 
use of the poniard. 

Robert C. Ambrister had formerly borne a lieuten- 
ant's commission in the British ^rvice, under Nicholls 
and Woodbine, and had remained in the Floridas as 
a kind of successor and agent to them. He had re- 
sided a considerable time at Suwanee, and pursued 
the same general system of measures in relation to 
the negroes and Indians as Arbuthnot had done ; 
though not to the same extent, or in concert with him. 
When the alarm was given of the approach of the 
American troops, he put himself at the head of what 
Indians and negroes he could rally, broke open Ar- 
buthnot's store, and distributed its contents, among 
which were some powder and ball, to his followers, 
and attempted to organize a party to go out and fight 
the Americans.* 

The court of inquiry found Arbuthnot guilty of 
exciting and stirring up the Creek Indians to war 
against the United States and her citizens, he being a 
subject of Great Britain, with whom the United States 
were at peace ; and of aiding, abetting, and comforting 
the enemy, and supplying them with the means of 
war. They accordingly sentenced him to be suspended 
by the neck until he was dead. 

They also found Ambrister guilty of aiding, abet- 

* Perkins. 



ARBUTHNOT AND AMBRISTER EXECUTED. 405 

ting, and comforting the enemy, and supplying them 
with the means of war, he being a subject of Great 
Britain, who were at peace with the United States, 
and late an officer in the British colonial marines; 
and also of leading and commanding the lower Creek 
Indians, in carrying on a war against the United States. 
They therefore sentenced him to suffer death, by being 
shot. The members of the court requested a recon- 
sideration of the vote on this sentence ; and it being 
had, they sentenced him to receive fifty stripes on the 
bare back, and to be confined with a ball and chain, 
at hard labour, for twelve months. 

It is to be remembered that this not being a court' 
martial, had no authority to pronounce sentence on the 
prisoners ; but as a special court or a court of inquiry 
to inquire into the circumstances of the case, and ad- 
vise the commanding general, in such cases as he 
might require their opinion. Accordingly, General 
Jackson approved the sentence of the court with re- 
gard to Alexander Arbuthnot, and he was hung on the 
29th of April. He also approved the first sentence of 
the court in the case of Robert C. Ambrister, and dis- 
approved its reconsideration. In passing final sen- 
tence upon Ambrister, the general remarked : — "It ap- 
pears from the evidence and pleading of the prisoner, 
that he, being a subject of Great Britain, did lead and 
command within the territory of Spain, the Indians, in 
a war against the United States, those nations being 
at peace. It is an established principle of the law of 
nations, that any individual of a nation making war 
against the citizens of any other nation, they being at 
peace, forfeits his allegiance, and becomes an outlaw 



406 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

and pirate. This is the case of Robert C. Ambrister, 
clearly shown by the evidence adduced." He was ac- 
cordingly shot on the same day that Arbuthnot was 
executed. 

le trial of these men by a court, and the rejection 
of its sentence as to Ambrister, by General Jackson, 
were much complained of at the time of their occur- 
rence; but, in the minds of all thinking men, the justice 
of their execution cannot admit of a doubt. " They 
were volunteers in the service of a lawless tribe of sa- 
vages, whose mode of warfare is an indiscriminate 
massacre of all ages and sexes. It is right, it is mer- 
ciful, to inflict on these savages those cruelties which 
they practise and inculcate. In this, however, it is 
proper to select the most atrocious and vindictive. 
To spare the effusion of the blood even of savages, and 
to effect that security which arises from eminent ex- 
amples,' it is prudent and wise to select those men as 
objects of retaliation and punishment, who are the most 
active and successful in practising and inflicting cru- 
elties. Who, then, could have been selected as ex- 
amples, with more justice and policy, than these two 
foreigners, who had been taught in the school of hu- 
manity, and understood the distresses which their con- 
duct would inflict ? The general had a right to exe- 
cute them without trial. This right is an executive 
right, and rests in the commanding general. The gen- 
eral had power to execute them without trial, and 
there was no good reason why they should be tried, 
except the necessity of ascertaining whether they were 
in fact concerned in provoking and prosecuting hos- 
tilities. Accordingly, a special court was appointed to 



RETURN TO FORT GADSDEN. 401^ 

ascertain this fact. He asked their opinion with re- 
spect to the sentence which should be passed, but he 
did not delegate to them his absolute right of passing 
the judgment and sentence which the facts justified. 
The truth was found by the court, and upon this it 
was his duty to decide."* The correctness of this 
decision in the case of Arbuthnot has never been dis- 
puted ; while, with respect to Ambrister, it is but neces- 
sary to remember, that he was a subject of Great Bri- 
tain, owing temporary allegiance to the king of Spain, 
but not to Bowlegs or Hillishago, and that by aiding 
savages to carry on war against the United States, he 
violated the British treaty, the Spanish treaty, the law 
of nature, the law of nations, and the laws of war, and 
justly suffered death. 

These proceedings of General Jackson were justi- 
fied by the congress of the United States and the 
parliament of Great Britain. The Spanish govern- 
ment complained, but were silenced by the arguments 
of Mr. Adams, then secretary of state. 

On the 29th of April, General Jackson returned 
to Fort Gadsden. There he received intelligence 
that some of the fugitive Seminoles had escaped to 
West Florida, and were collecting in great numbers 
in the neighbourhood of Pensacola ; and there he de- 
termined on the punishment of all the aiders and 
abettors of the Indians in the war. On the 5th of 
May he wrote to the secretary of war, from Fort 
Gadsden, and gave him a detailed account of his ope- 
rations in the war, and also informed him of the exe- 

* See the Speech of Mr. Holmes in the House of Representatives, 
January, 1819. 



408 



THE SEMINOLE WAR, 




,^ — „ 

John Quincy Adams. 



cution of Arbuthnot and Ambrister. In this despatch, 
he says,; " I hope the execution of these two unprinci- 
pled villains will prove an awful example to the world, 
and convince the government of Great Britain, as well 
as her subjects, that certain, if slow, retribution awaits 
those unchristian wretches, who, by false promises, 
delude and excite an^^fadian tribe to all the horrid 
deeds of savage war. yrrevious to my leaving Fort 
Gadsden, I had occasion to address a communication 



JACKSON'S DESPATCH. 409 

to the governor of Pensacola, on the subject of per- 
mitting supphes to pass up the Escambia river to Fort 
Crawford. This letter, v^ith another from St. Mark's, 
on the subject of some United States' clothing, shipped 
in a vessel in the employ of the Spanish government 
to that post, I now enclose, with his reply. The 
governor of Pensacola's refusal to my demand, cannot 
but be viewed as a hostile feeling on his part, particu- 
larly in connexion with some circumstances, reported 
to me from the most unquestionable authority. It 
has been stated, that the Indians at war with the 
United States, have free access into Pensacola ; that 
they are kept advised, from that quarter, of all our 
movements ; that they are supplied from thence with 
ammunition and munitions of war ; and that they are 
now collecting in a body to the amount of four or five 
hundred warriors, in that town; that inroads from 
thence have been lately made on the Alabama, in one 
of which eighteen settlers fell by the tomahawk. 
These statements compel me to make a movement to 
the west of the Apalachicola ; and, should they prove 
correct, Pensacola must be occupied by an American 
force, and the governor treated according to his deserts, 
or as policy may dictate. I shall leave strong garri- 
sons in Forts St. Mark's, Gadsden, and Scott, and in 
Pensacola, should it be necessary to possess it. It 
becomes my duty to state it as my confirmed opinion, 
that so long as Spain has not the power or will to 
enforce the treaties by which she is solemnly bound 
to preserve the Indians within her territory at peace 
with the United States, no security can be given to 
our southern frontier, without occupying a cordon of 
58 



410 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

posts along the shore. The moment the American 
army retires from Florida, the war-hatchet will be 
again raised, and the same scenes of indiscriminate 
massacre, with which our frontier settlers have been 
visited, will be repeated, so long as the Indians within 
the territory of Spain are exposed to the delusion of 
false prophets and the poison of foreign intrigue ; so 
long as they can receive ammunition and munitions 
of war from pretended traders and Spanish command- 
ants, it will be impossible to restrain their outrages. 
The burning of their towns, and destroying of their 
stock and provisions, will produce but temporary em- 
barrassments. Resupplied by Spanish authorities, 
they may concentrate and disperse at will, and keep 
up a lasting and predatory warfare against the United 
States, as expensive to our government as harassing 
to our troops. The savages therefore must be made 
dependent on us, and cannot be kept at peace without 
being persuaded of the certainty of chastisement being 
inflicted on the commission of the first offence. I 
trust, therefore, that the measures which have been 
pursued will meet with the approbation of the president 
of the United States ; they have been adopted in pur- 
suance of your instructions, and under a firm convic- 
tion that they alone were calculated to secure peace 
and security to the Georgia frontier." 
(C)n the 10th of May, General Jackson, having left 
strong garrisons in Forts St. Mark's, Scott, and Gads- 
den, crossed the Apalachicola river about forty miles 
above the latter fort, and on the 22d arrived at the 
Escambia, a short distance above Pensacola, with 
twelve hundred men. He notified the governor of his 



OCCUPATION OF FLORIDA. 4ll 

approach, who, in answer, ordered him to retire from 
Florida ; and if he did not, that he would use force to 
repel him. The governor of Pensacola did not apply 
force to prevent Nicholls from occupying his town ; he 
did not use force to prevent Indians and negroes, hos- 
tile to the United States, from entering Pensacola. 
The general, hearing that some hostile Indians had 
received provisions in Pensacola, and had escaped 
across the bay, disregarded the remonstrance of the 
Spanish governor, and determined to take the town. 
His obligations to the United States compelled him to 
do so. Spain was expressly obliged, by treaty, to re- 
strain by force the Indians within her territory from 
committing hostilities against the United States. The 
Spanish officers commanding in Florida, did not re- 
strain the Indians from war, but aided and abetted 
them in it ; it then became the duty of Spain to have 
displaced and superseded those officers, and to have 
confided to others the command of Florida, who would 
have preserved the neutral character of that territory. 
Spain did not displace or supersede them. In order, 
therefore, to prevent the perpetration of future atroci- 
ties by Indians, negroes, and foreign emissaries and 
impostors, it became necessary to occupy St. Marks, 
Pensacola, and the Barrancas, with detachments of 
troops from the United States, who would defend these 
fortresses, not from the lawful authority of Spain, but 
from unlawful seizure and occupation by enemies of 
the United States, consisting of Indians, negroes, and 
the villains from other countries, who were stimulating 
these savages to every species of barbarous warfare 
on our exposed frontier. 



412 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

On the 24tli, he entered the city and took posses- 
sion of it without resistance, the governor and all the 
military force having retired to the Barrancas on his ap- 
proach. The next day the Barrancas was invested, 
and, after a bombardment, which continued till the 
evening of the 27th, was surrendered to the United 
States. The Spanish authorities were shipped to 
Havana, and the government of the United States ex- 
tended over the captured posts, until they should be 
restored by the proper authority to Spain. 

General Jackson then scoured the whole territory 
in search of the fugitives, and having made every ne- 
cessary arrangement for the security of the settlers, 
discharged his Tennessee volunteers, left General 
Gaines in command, and returned to the Hermitage 
near Nashville. Three months afterwards, St. Augus- 
tine, the only remaining Spanish fortress in Florida, 
was captured by General Gaines, in obedience to 
General Jackson's orders, and the whole province was 
thus brought into the military possession of the United 
States. Thus the Seminole war ended in the conquest 
of Florida. 

The war being over and the Indians dispersed, the 
president of the United States convened his cabinet 
council, and proposed for their consideration the 
following questions : — - 

" 1. Shall Pensacola be retained, risking all conse- 
quences at home and abroad ? 

" 2. Shall the captured Spanish posts be restored, 
and General Jackson put on his trial before a court- 
martial, for a breach of orders and linofficerlike 
conduct ? 



JACKSON VISITS WASHINGTON. 413 

'3. Shall the posts be restored and the acts of 
General Jackson disavowed, at the same time justifying 
the motive ?" 

The council decided that the posts should be re- 
stored, requiring of the Spanish government that they 
should be garrisoned by a force sufficient to enable 
them to fulfil the stipulations of the treaty of 1795, 
and that General Jackson should not be tried by a 
court-martial. In pursuance of this advice Pensacola 
and the Barrancas were immediately restored, and St. 
Mark's ordered to be given up, whenever a Spanish 
force, apparently competent to its defence, should 
appear to take possession.* 
y^ In thus advising the president, his council merely 
( followed the suggestion of General Jackson, who, in 
a letter to the secretary of war, dated June 2d, 1818, 
said : " The Seminole war may now be considered as 
at a close ; tranquillity is again restored to the south- 
ern frontier of the United States ; and as long as a 
cordon of military posts is maintained along the Gulf 
of Mexico, America has nothing to apprehend from 
either foreign or Indian hostilities. The immutable 
principles of self-defence justified the occupancy of the 
Floridas, and the same principles will warrant the 
American government in holding it, until such time as 
Spain can guaranty, by an adequate military force, the 
maintaining of her authority within the colony." 

Shortly after the return of General Jackson to 
Nashville, he resigned his commission in the army.^' 
He visited Washington in January, 1819, while Con- 

* Perkins. 



414 THE SEMINOLE WAR. 

gress was in session, and while his transactions in 
Florida were being examined by that body. 

Soon after the assembling of Congress, in De- 
cember, 1818, the president had communicated to them 
all the papers relating to the Seminole war. They 
were referred to committees in each house. The 
committee in the Senate consisted of five members, 
three of whom made a report, towards the close of the 
session, censuring the conduct of the general, while 
the other two presented a minority report, justifying 
him in all that he had done. The lateness of the pe- 
riod at which the report was made, prevented the 
action of the Senate upon it. In the House of Repre- 
sentatives the papers were submitted to the military 
committee, consisting of seven members. Of this 
committee, four agreed to report a resolution of cen- 
sure to the House, while the other three presented a 
statement approving the general's conduct, and con- 
cluding with a declaration that he deserved the thanks 
of his country. After a long and exciting debate on 
the resolutions offered by the committee, the resolu- 
tions of censure were rejected, the report of the com- 
mittee disagreed too, and the general's conduct ap- 
proved by a vote of one hundred and seven to sixty- 
three. 

His course was also sustained by the president, 
and by a majority of his council. That part of it re- 
lating to the execution of Arbuthnot and Ambrister, 
was acknowledged to be right by the British Parha- 
ment. The Spanish government complained ; but the 
answer of Mr. Adams, the secretary of state, fully 
convinced that power of the justice of the course pur- 



END OF THE SEMINOLE WAR. 415 

sued by Jackson. He sustained his opinion on the 
ground that, by the treaty of 1795, Spain had ex- 
pressly stipulated to restrain by force, if necessary, 
the Indians within the limits of her territories from 
committing acts of hostility against the citizens of the 
United States. He then produced a series of undis- 
puted facts, which clearly proved that the Spanish au- 
thorities in Florida, so far from regarding this stipu- 
lation, had instigated and encouraged the Indians and 
negroes within their limits to the most barbarous acts 
of murder and rapine ; had furnished them with the 
means of annoyance, and protected foreign miscreants 
in aiding the savages in their work of destruction. 
This, Mr. Adams claimed, was a full justification to 
the Spanish government for every measure which the 
United States had adopted in relation to the Floridas, 
and would warrant any further reprisals which the safety 
of the citizens of the latter country might require; 
and the secretary concluded with demanding satis- 
faction for the heavy expenses incurred in prosecuting 
the Seminole war, and the exemplary punishment of 
the Spanish officers under whose authority these events 
had taken place. Arbuthnot and Ambrister being 
foreign emissaries, and the principal instigators of the 
massacres committed by the savages, their being put 
to death by an American officer, Mr. Adams contended, 
furnished no ground of complaint on the part of Spain, 
though done within her jurisdiction.* 

When the congressional investigation had, as we 
have seen, terminated favourably to General Jackson, 

* Perkins. 



416 



THE SEMINOLE WAR. 



he visited the cities of Baltimore, Philadelphia, and 
New York, before his return to Tennessee. Through- 
out the whole of this journey he was everywhere re- 
ceived by the people with enthusiastic acclamations, 
and many other marks of popular feeling, and a 
nation's gratitude, were conferred upon him. 





CHAPTER XVII. 

JACKSON AT THE HERMITAGE. 

i ^ HE nation being at peace with all 
^^^fc the world ; the Indian tribes having 
'^^ been reduced to submission ; peace 
and tranquillity reigning throughout 
the land, General Jackson gladly 
retired again to the Hermitage, to 
eno-ao-e in his favourite rural occu- 
pations, and enjoy the society of his wife and beloved 
59 




418 JACKSON AT THE HERMITAGE. 

relatives. For several years he there lived a life of 
uninterrupted quiet and domestic happiness. He loved 
his wife with a romantic attachment, of which none 
but a few persons of his enthusiastic character are 
susceptible. Such were the fascinating powers of his 
conversation, such the cheerfulness of his fireside, and 
the warmth of his heart, that, though he was but a 
citizen, his house was the most public one in Ten- 
nessee. 

But his quiet and repose were soon destined to be 
disturbed. Though he desired not the emoluments of 
office, yet, in a country like the United States, it was 
impossible for one who had evinced the sterling 
qualities which adorned Jackson, to remain long in 
retirement.* 

In March, 1821, Florida having been ceded by 
Spain to the United States, he was appointed its 
governor by President Monroe, and he proceeded to 
the discharge of the important and delicate duties, 
which consequently devolved upon him. The accept- 
ance of this appointment placed him in a situation of 
more than ordinary civil responsibility. Clothed with 
undefined powers, he was entrusted with the entire 
executive, military, and judicial administration of that 
region. In this new station, however, as in every 
other, he manifested no unwillingness to " assume the 
responsibility." The very difficulty and danger of the 
situation had its influence in impelling him to accept 
it. In a letter written during his residence in Florida, 
he speaks in this manner of the powers entrusted to 

* Cartwright and Irvin's Eulogies. 



APPOINTED GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA. 419 

him. " I am clothed with powers which no one under 
a repubhc ought to possess, and which I trust will 
never again be given to any man. Nothing will give 
me more happiness than to learn that Congress, in its 
wisdom, shall have distributed them properly, and in 
such a manner as is consonant to our earliest and 
deepest impressions. Yet, as I hold these powers by 
the authority of an act of Congress, it becomes my 
duty to discharge the sacred trust imposed upon me 
according to the best of my abilities, even though the 
proper exercise of the powers given might involve me 
in heavy personal responsibilities. It has been my 
misfortune to be thus circumstanced in my various re- 
lations as a public servant. Yet I never have, nor 
ever will I shrink from the discharge of my public 
duties from any apprehension of personal responsi- 
bility." 

Nor was this responsibility imaginary. By t 
terms of the treaty of cession, all the archives and 
public papers were to be given up with the province. 
Four documents relating to the rights of property in 
West Florida were withheld by Governor Cavalla, 
claiming that they did not come within the meaning 
or intention of the treaty. After a specific demand. 
Governor Jackson sent an armed force to seize the 
papers, and bring Don Cavalla before him, to answer 
for a contempt of his authority. On his persisting in 
a refusal either to give up the papers or appear before 
the governor, Cavalla was taken out of bed, carried 
to Jackson's quarters, and by him committed to prison. 
The papers having been soon after found, Cavalla 
was immediately set at liberty. 




420 JACKSON AT THE HERMITAGE. 

A contest of a similar character took place in East 
Florida. Mr. Worthington had been commissioned 
by Governor Jackson to act as governor of that part 
of the territory during his absence in the western part. 
On the 2d of October, Mr. Worthington finding that 
some papers belonging to that province were about to 
be sent to Havana, under the direction of his superior, 
caused them to be seized and secured. The dilatory 
proceedings and troublesome character of the Spa- 
niards who had anything to do with the transfer of 
the government, occasioned much difficulty to the 
American authorities. 

General Jackson j^ublished the facts relating to the 
seizure of the papers and the detention of Cavalla. 
Seven of Don Cavalla's officers, who had remained in 
Florida after its cession as private citizens, published 
a statement contradicting some of the facts which 
Jackson had made public, and containing, as he appre- 
hended, some disrespectful expressions and sentiments 
calculated to excite in the Floridians, discontent with 
his government. This publication was answered by 
a proclamation from the governor, ordering them to 
quit the territory in five days. 

For the purpose of administering justice, the terri- 
tory was divided into two counties, without regard to 
the original division of East and West Florida ; the 
country west of the Suwanee River constituted one 
county, by the name of EScambia ; and the territory 
east of that river another, denominated St. John's.* 

Jackson's commission expiring at the end of the 

* Perkins. 



NOMINATED FOR THE PRESIDENCY. 421 

session of the Senate in 1822, and he having accom- 
phshed the organization of the territorial government 
of Florida under the act of congress, declined a re-ap- 
pointnient, and returned to Tennessee. 

No sooner had he returned to Tennessee, than he 
was nominated by the legislature of that state as a 
candidate for the office of president of the United 
States. They urged in his favour the important mili- 
tary services which he had performed, and the honour 
which thereby redounded to the country ; his know- 
ledge and known ability to execute the laws, and his 
unshrinking firmness in the execution of his duty. 
This nomination of the legislature of Tennessee was 
repeated by immense assemblages of citizens in several 
other states ; and from his great popularity in the 
south and west, as well as with the whole army of the 
United States, his election in 1824 was confidently 
expected. 

In 1823, President Monroe oftered him the appoint- 
ment of minister to Mexico, which he declined, not 
only because he desired no office of emolument or 
honour, but because he did not wish to countenance, 
by his presence at the court of the sovereign of Mexi- 
co, the substitution of a monarchy in the place of a 
republic, nor the means by which it had been effi^cted. 
Other reasons also concurred to induce him to decline 
the appointment. Incessant toil in the various duties 
of his command — exposure to the hardships of military 
service in the south, and especially in the swamps and 
morasses of Florida — had undermined his constitution, 
which had never, at any time, been very strong ; and 
retirement seemed to him as needful to the preserva- 



4^ JACKSON AT THE HERMITAGE. 

tion of his own life, as to the happiness of those who 
had so long been denied the pleasure of his society. 

He did not deem it inconsistent with this feeling to 
accept the office of senator in Congress, which was 
again, in the autumn of 1823, conferred on him by the 
legislature of Tennessee; for this honourable and com- 
paratively easy service would still leave him, for the 
greater portion of the year, an inmate of the Hermi- 
tage.* In December, 1823, he took his seat in the 
highest branch of the legislative department of the go- 
vernment. He voted for the tariff^ of 1824, which was 
intended as a protection for American manufacturers. 
It raised the duties on many articles of imports from 
foreign countries coming in competition with articles 
manufactured in the United States. It was the result 
of the combined efforts of the advocates of protection 
to domestic industry throughout the Union, added to 
the recommendation of the president, and the support 
of members of Congress, principally from the northern, 
middle, and western states. The bill was debated for 
weeks in both houses, and called forth the first talent 
in Congress. The most strenuous opposition was made 
by the members from the southern states. The ma- 
jority in its favour in the Senate was but four, of 
whom General Jackson was one.t 

Jackson's popularity with the people of the United 
States was shown at the presidential election in the 
autumn of 1824, when he received a greater number 
of electoral votes than either of his competitors. 
There were four candidates for the presidency, among 

* Butler's Eulogy. f Statesman's Manual. 



ELECTION OF MR. ADAMS. 4^ 

whom the electoral votes were divided as follows : — 
For Jackson, ninety-nine ; for Adams, eighty-four; for 
Crawford, forty-one; and for Clay, thirty-seven. Nei- 
ther of the candidates having a majority of the whole 
number of electors, the election devolved upon the 
House of Representatives, where, according to the 
provision of the constitution, the decision is made by 
states, the representation from each state having one 
vote, and a majority of all the states being necessary 
to a choice. 

The House, being restricted in its choice to the 
three highest candidates. Clay was thrown out; but 
though not ostensibly a candidate before the repre- 
sentatives, yet he held the destinies of the nation in 
his hands. The states by which he had been sup- 
ported, could decide the election as they chose. By 
uniting with the South, they would unquestionably 
bring in General Jackson ; and by joining the East, 
they would as certainly effect the election of Adams. 

The course of Mr. Clay in this contest has been 
severely animadverted upon by his opponents. It 
seems that he considered General Jackson, though a 
distinguished military officer, as destitute of the re- 
quisite talents and qualifications for the presidency ; 
that it was hazardous to the liberties of the country 
to elevate a person to the chief magistracy, the duties 
of which are mostly of a civil nature, merely because 
he had been a successful general. That on the other 
hand, he considered Mr. Adams as possessing, in a 
high degree, the requisite qualifications ; that his ta- 
lents were of the first order, and his life had been 
spent in the proper school for the office. With these 



424 



JACKSON AT THE HERMITAGE. 




Henry Clay. 



views, or perhaps others, Mr. Clay determined to sup- 
port Mr. Adams. That this determination was the 
result of collusion between them, is strongly denied ; 
but if it was not, Mr. Clay undoubtedly committed a 
capital error in accepting the appointment of secretary 
of state, which was conferred on him, immediately on 
the accession of Adams to the presidency. 

Mr. Adams was elected on the first ballot by the 
House of Representatives ; he receiving the votes of 
thirteen states, Jackson of seven, and Crawford of four.* 

General Jackson submitted, as he should have 
done, to the decision of the constitutional authorities 



* Perkins. 



JACKSON RENOMINATED. 425 

of his country ; and his conduct was marked, on that 
occasion, with that propriety and dignity so charac- 
teristic of him. He was present, with the other mem- 
bers of the Senate, in the hall of the representatives, 
on the 4th of March, 1825, when the president elect 
delivered his inausural address and took the oath of 
office. After delivering his address, and binding him- 
self by the oath of office faithfully to execute his 
duties, and to defend the constitution, Mr. Adams 
descended from the platform to receive the congrat- 
ulations of his friends. It was then that General 
Jackson, stepping out, as no other man could have 
done, was the first to shake hands with and con- 
gratulate the newly-made president, the person who 
had just been inaugurated in the office which the free 
voice of the people of the land would have bestowed 
upon Jackson. 

The pride of Tennessee was aroused at the injus- 
tice, or the seeming injustice, by which her favourite 
son was excluded from the presidency. From the 
formation of her constitution, he had been one of her 
most cherished jewels. She had trusted him always, 
and he had never betrayed her. She had named him 
for the chief magistracy — he had a plurality of votes 
— and yet one who had received many less was pre- 
ferred by those on whom devolved the constitutional 
alternative, in the failure of a choice by the people. 
With a spirit worthy of a sovereign state, she again 
uttered her unabated confidence in him, and manifested 
her displeasure at the treatment he had received, by re- 
nominating him for the first office in the gift of the peo- 

60 



426 JACKSON AT THE HERMITAGE. 

pie by general acclamation.* His character cannot be 
better exhibited than by briefly presenting the grounds 
upon which his claims were now pressed upon the 
American people, to the high office of chief magistrate. 
He was supported upon the ground, that having been 
distinguished, if not for great talents, yet for useful 
services in all the civil offices, under the governments 
both of Tennessee and the United States, of counsellor, 
legislator, senator, and judge — some of which he had 
filled more than once, and the duties of which he had 
discharged with ability and satisfaction to those he 
represented — he was qualified for any office under the 
government. That it was not probable that he could 
have been selected to fill high offices, so various and 
responsible, without possessing distinguished talents 
for civil duties ; or that he could have discharged them 
satisfactorily, without considerable acquirement ; that 
this should satisfy his country that his mind was not 
exclusively of a military character, and that his election 
to the presidency would not therefore rest exclusively 
on his great military services. That, like Washington, 
he had been a citizen-soldier, and, like Washington, 
was qualified for high civil command. That it was 
the command of armies, and briUiant military services 
rendered by both, that first endeared these great men 
to their country, and operated doubtless, with both, in 
recommending them to the chair of state. That if 
neither had been a warrior, it is probable neither 
would have been a distinguished statesman. That 
General Jackson was eminently qualified by his great 

* Harris's Eulogy. 



JACKSON RENOMINATED. 427 

capacity for originating and directing measures, for 
governing men, for bringing order out of confusion, 
and, by that prudent judgment and foresight, securing 
the good which many too often attribute to fortune. 
That he was fitted for the chief magistracy of such a 
country and people, by all the qualities of his great 
mind and character, and by all the habits of his public 
and private life. That it would be vain to say that a 
man nurtured in the bosom of freemen, every one of 
whom was by birthright a politician — successively 
filling, by the choice of such a people, high and im- 
portant offices in the legislative, executive, and judicial 
departments of government — was, notwithstanding all 
his experience, and such proofs of public esteem and 
confidence, incompetent to the administration of a 
popular government. That, called, as he had been, 
from the pursuits of civil hfe to military command, he 
had become at once, and without regular military 
tuition, a great captain. That, having to trust to his 
own resources, and to depend for success on the active 
and commanding energies of his own mighty mind, he 
did not then disappoint his country. That his com- 
binations and conduct established a skill, a sagacity 
and judgment, that would have done honour to the 
most renowned commander that had ever devoted a 
whole hfetime to the profession of arms. And that 
if such had been the results of General Jackson's capa- 
city and talents, in a profession which he had but little 
followed, the results would not be less beneficial or 
glorious, when the same capacity, and talents, and in- 
tegrity should be devoted to an office more congenial 
to his habits. That it was true, he was not a man of 



428 JACKSON AT THE HERMITAGE. 

great learning and genius ; but, in lieu of these he had 
a common sense, a discretion and prudence, which 
nothing could supply, and without which knowledge 
was useless, and genius contemptible. That he was 
a man who never mistook what to do or what he was 
doing. That in regard to the fundamental questions 
of constitutional doctrines and national policy, he had 
been politically nurtured in the school of our republican 
fathers, and that to these tenets of his youth he still 
adhered. And that, lastly, in the language of Thomas 
Jefferson, he was " honest, sincere, firm, and strong- 
minded — of sound public principles ; and that, if he 
should be brought into the presidency, to correct the 
alarming tendency towards favourite, and otherwise 
irremediable evils, which were beginning to develope 
themselves in the administration of the federal govern- 
ment, he (Jackson) would be found entirely faithful to 
the object." These were the grounds on which he was 
presented to the people by the legislature of his own 
state and his friends throughout the union.* 

The resolution which passed both houses of the 
legislature of Tennessee, in October, 1825, proffering 
General Jackson to their fellow-citizens for the chief 
magistracy, and expatiating at large on his many dis- 
tinguished qualifications for the office, was responded 
to by him, not doubting the right of a state legislature 
to nominate a president, by a resignation of his seat 
in the Senate of the United States, and an address to 
the legislature, in which he also gave his views on 
public affairs. For three years, during the exciting 

* Stevenson's Eulogy. 



JACKSON ELECTED PRESIDENT. 429 

canvass, which finally resulted in his election, he re- 
mained in private life at the Hermitage. In January, 
1828, he spent a few days in New Orleans, partici- 
pating, by invitation, in the celebration of the thirteenth 
anniversary of his great victory. 

The canvass for the presidential election in 1828 
was conducted with great spirit and enthusiasm. 
Many distinguished members of the party who had 
supported the administrations of Washington and 
John Adams, declared for Jackson ; some of them as- 
signing as a reason for this step, the determination to 
break up what was beginning to appear as an estab- 
lished usage, viz : the election to the presidency of one 
who had previously served as secretary of state ; any- 
thinof like a reorular line of succession to this high 
office appearing to them to be totally repugnant to the 
spirit of our republican institutions. The people en- 
tered into the cause of Jackson with that hearty good 
will which was the result of high sense of his impor- 
tant services to the republic, and a desire to redress 
the wrong which they considered to have been done 
towards him in the previous election. The people of 
the United States have always evinced this lively sense 
of gratitude towards public men who have rendered 
great and indisputable services to the country, and a 
keen resentment for any injury which they may have 
suffered. Under these circumstances. General Jack- 
son could hardly fail of his election ; and, accordingly, 
the election in October, 1828, resulted in the eleva- 
tion of Jackson to the presidency, by an electoral 
vote of one hundred and seventy-eight. Mr. Adams 
received but eighty-three. The latter had the votes 



430 



JACKSON AT THE HERMITAGE. 



of New Jersey and Delaware, sixteen from New York, 
five from Maryland, and all the New England votes, 
except one from Maine. All the other votes were for 
General Jackson. 

Before departing for Washington, in 1829, to take 
the reins of government, he met with a severe affliction 
in the death of Mrs. Jackson. This loss bore heavily 
upon him for some time, and he came into power with 
gloomy feelings. He reached the national capital ear- 
ly in February, in a plain carriage.* 

The news of his arrival at the seat of government, 
and his entrance on the duties of his office, was re- 
ceived with enthusiasm throughout the United States. 

* Statesman's Manual. 




Huzzah for Jackson 




General Jackson in 1S-J9. 




CHAPTER XVIII. 
FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

E now enter upon Geneml 
Jackson's career as a states- 
man. This part of his life 
it is our purpose to treat, 
not in the spirit of party, but '"" 
of history — to regard his 
acts, as far as it may be 
possible to do so, in the 
same point of view in which 
they will be regarded by 
posterity. It is not to be expected that the chief ma- 
gistrate of a great nation shall escape censure for 
those important political measures which he may con- 
sider it his duty to adopt. Washington was charged 
with being bought with British gold, because he signed 
Jay's treaty ; Adams was strongly censured for chas- 
61 




434 Fin ST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

tising the insolence of the French Directory ; Jeffer- 
son for purchasing Louisiana; Madison for recom- 
mending the dechiration of war with Eno-Jand ; and 
Monroe for sanctioning the conquest and acquisition 
of Florida ; and yet these measures were all justified, 
not only by the general voice of the American people? 
but by their obvious public utility. An impartial sur- 
vey of Jackson's most important measures, precisely 
the measures which were most loudly censured, will 
conduct us to the same result. They have been 
equally justified by the voice of the people, and by 
their eflfects on the prosperity of the nation. 

General Jackson arrived at Washington in Feb- 
ruary, and on the 4th of March, 1829, entered on the 
duties of the office of President of the United States. 
About twelve o'clock of that day he was waited upon 
by a few of the surviving officers and soldiers of the 
revolutionary war, who came to escort him from his 
lodgings at Gadsby's hotel to the capitol. One of 
them, speaking for all, delivered an address, congratu- 
lating him upon his election, and expressing sentiments 
of deep attachment. He replied to them by saying : — 
"Respected friends: your affectionate address awa- 
kens sentiments and recollections which I feel with 
sincerity and cherish with pride. To have around 
my person, at the moment of undertaking the most 
solemn of all duties to my country, the companions 
of the immortal Washington, will afford me satis- 
faction and grateful encouragement. That by my 
best exertions I shall be able to exhibit more than an 
imitation of his labours, a sense of my own imperfec- 
tions, and the reverence I entertain for his virtues, 



INAUGURATION. 435 

forbid me to hope. To you, respected friends, the 
survivors of that heroic band, who followed him so 
long and so valiantly in the path of glory, I ofter my 
sincere thanks, and to Heaven my prayers, that your 
remaining years may be as happy as your toils and 
your lives have been illustrious." 

Escorted by this band of heroes he arrived at the 
capitol, where, in presence of the Senate, the members 
of the House of Representatives, the heads of depart- 
ments, the judges of the Supreme Court, foreign 
ministers, and an immense concourse of citizens, he 
dehvered his inaugural address ; and having concluded 
it, the oath faithfully to execute the duties of the 
presidency, and to the best of his ability to preserve, 
protect, and defend the constitution, was administered 
to him by Chief-Justice Marshall. His induction into 
office by taking this oath was immediately proclaimed 
by the firing of salutes by artillery stationed near the 
capitol, which were echoed and re-echoed from the 
forts and plains around. The paragraph which ex- 
cited most interest in his inaugural address was in the 
following terms. 1/ 

"The recent demonstration of public sentiment 
inscribes on the list of executive duties, in characters 
too legible to be overlooked, the task o^ reform ; which 
will require particularly the correction of those abuses 
that have brought the patronage of the federal go- 
vernment into conflict with the freedom of elections, 
and the counteraction of those causes which have 
disturbed the rightful course of appointment, and have 
placed, or continued power in unfaithful or incompe- 
tent hands. In the performance of a task thus 



436 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

generally delineated, I shall endeavour to select men 
whose diligence and talents will insure, in their respec- 
tive stations, able and faithful co-operation — depending 
lor the advancement of the public service, more on 
the integrity and zeal of the public officers, than on 
their numbers." The meaning of this part of his ad- 
dress was only made known when he began his 
general system of removals and appointments. 

After the delivery of his address, he was conducted 
in procession to the presidential mansion, where he 
received the salutations of a vast number of friends, 
who had gathered to congratulate him upon his induc- 
tion to the highest office in the gift of the people. 

Thus propitious and pleasant, like the day of his 
inauguration, everything seemed to work in harmony 
at the touch of the new president. He entered upon 
the duties of the office with great experience and 
ample preparation in civil as well as military hfe. In 
his early youth, for many years, he was devoted to 
the study and practice of a profession that brought 
the mind in daily and familiar intercourse with the 
laws and government of his countiy. A pioneer 
amonor the first settlers of a new territory, he saw the 
birth and developement of the social and civil institu- 
tions of a free people. At thirty years of age he was 
the leading statesman of a young republic. His crea- 
tive mind was called on to aid in framing a constitu- 
tion of government, suited to a people of largest 
liberty — and then to administer its laws in the func- 
tions of an office of the highest trnst and responsibility. 
By his powers of thought and independence of char- 
acter, he exalted the judicial station in the minds of a 



INAUGURATION. 43^ 

rude people. He whose retirement from the supreme 
bench was opposed by the best men of his state, must 
have possessed rare quaHties as a judge.* 

Long in retirement, devoted to rural occupations, 
disconnected with the strife of party politics, and in 
familiar intercourse with the sons of those pioneers, 
who had conquered a rude wilderness to the hand of 
cultivation, he learned to value the strong sense of 
freedom, the bold intellect and hardy virtues of an 
agricultural people, and to perceive that the perpetuity 
of our free institutions depends on the continuance of 
their virtue and intelligence. With such associations, 
and such habits of mind, he could not fail to interpret 
the constitution in the sense of the great apostle of 
liberty, as an instrument of limited powers, reserving 
to the states and to the people many of the most im- 
portant attributes of sovereignty. Dwelling among 
an enlightened people, with few wants, and requiring 
but few restraints — having a constitution and laws of 
their own adequate to their purpose and faithfully ad- 
ministered, he could not perceive the necessity or the 
justice of conferring all powers on a central govern- 
ment, remote from observation, in the hands of men 
opposed to him in interest, alien in feeling, and over 
whom he and his people could exert but a limited 
control. Such thoughts naturally suggested them- 
selves to the unbiassed mind of Andrew Jackson ; and 
he who despised shams, and sought and loved the 
truth for her own sake, could not fail to embrace them. 
With large experience, and ample preparation, in 

* Garland's Eulogy. 



438 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

mature old age and full of honours, Andrew Jackson 
ascended the steps of the capitol as president of the 
United States, forty years after the foundation of the 
republic, and took the oath to support the constitution. 
This was no unmeaning ceremony with him. He 
solemnly purposed to support the constitution as it 
came from the hands of Washington and his com- 
peers, and none other. Whatever a plain, honest, 
common-sense interpretation of its words could be 
made to mean, that was the constitution he intended to 
abide by and enforce. Those powers of intellect and 
that independence of mind so conspicuous in his 
earlier days, had never forsaken him. He was not 
the man to yield to authority against his own judg- 
ment, or surrender the solemn convictions of his mind 
to the plea of necessity.* 

The interpolation of forty years' legislation, 
though sanctioned by judicial authority and great 
names, had no weight with him against the plain 
reading of the constitution. After having encountered 
so many difficulties, and fronted so many dangers, 
through a long and eventful life, he was not now to be 
deterred by any consideration from the discharge of 
his duty. Having filled the measure of his country's 
glory, and leaning with his arm on eternity, he had 
nothing more to ask. But with a popularity, a weight 
of character, and an influence unknown since the days 
of Washington, he stood by the altar of the consti- 
tution, and ofl^ered it all as a sacrifice to his country. 
Thousands have condemned him, but^ none have 

* Garland's Eulogy. 



JACKSON'S CABINET. 439 

charged him with selfishness or a sinister motive. 
Comins" into the executive chair with a determination 
of bringing hack the government to the simple mean- 
ing of the constitution, confining its action to a few 
general powers, and leaving all the rest to the states 
and to the people, he resolved to accomplish it or 
perish in the ruins. This, his greatest task, he did 
accomplish, as he always accomplished everything he 
undertook, gallantly, nobly, perfectly.* 

The members of the former cabinet having re- 
signed. President Jackson immediately made the fol- 
lowing nominations, which were duly confirmed by the 
Senate : Martin Van Buren, of New York, for Secre- 
tary of State ; Samuel D. Ingham, of Pennsylvania, 
Secretary of the Treasury ; John H. Eaton, of Ten- 
nessee, Secretary of War; John Branch, of North 
Carolina, Secretary of the Navy ; John Macpherson 
Berrien, of Georgia, Attorney General; and William 
T. Barry, of Kentucky, Postmaster General. 

After thus constituting the cabinet, and confirming 
some other nominations, the Senate adjourned on the 
17th of March, upon receiving an intimation from the 
president that he had no other business to lay before 
them. 

Scarcely had the Senate adjourned, when the work 
of reform was commenced by the removal of the 
president's political opponents, and the appointment 
of his friends to office. The number of appointments 
made by him during the recess of the Senate was one 
hundred and seventy-six, principally in consequence 
of removals. 

* Garland's Eulogy. 



440 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

Congress reassembled in December, 1829. In his 
first annual message, which he then delivered to them, 
he expressed his views on political subjects, and on the 
policy most conducive to the prosperity of the nation. 
In referring to the condition and prospects of the 
United States, he said : 

" In communicating with you for the first time, it 
is to me a source of unfeigned satisfaction, calling for 
mutual gratulation and devout thanks to a benign 
Providence, that we are at peace with all mankind, 
and that our country exhibits the most cheering evi- 
dence of general welfare and progressive improvement. 

" Our foreign relations, although in their general 
character pacific and friendly, present subjects of dif- 
ference between us and other powers of deep interest, 
as well to the country at large as to many of our citi- 
zens. To effect an adjustment of these shall continue 
to be the object of my earnest endeavours ; and not- 
withstanding the difficulties of the task, I do not allow 
myself to apprehend unfavourable results. Blessed as 
our country is with everything which constitutes na- 
tional strength, she is fully adequate to the mainten- 
ance of all her interests. In discharging the responsi- 
ble trust confided to the executive in this respect, it is 
my settled purpose to ask nothing that is not clearly 
right, and to submit to nothing that is wrong ; and I 
flatter myself that, supported by the other branches 
of the government, and by the intelligence and patri- 
otism of the people, we shall be able, under the pro- 
tection of Providence, to cause all our just rights to 
be respected." 

He then entered into a particular examination of 



FIRST ANNUAL MESSAGE. 441 

the relations of the United States with Great Britain, 
France, Spain, and other European powers, as well as 
with the Barbary powers in Africa, and Brazil and 
Mexico on our own continent. He recommended an 
amendment of that part of the constitution which re- 
lates to the election of president and vice-president. 
In relation to the tariff passed at the last session of 
Congress, the state of the public finances, and the re- 
venue, his message contained the following para- 
graphs : 

" No very considerable change has occurred during 
the recess of Congress in the condition of either our 
agriculture, commerce, or manufactures. The opera- 
tion of the tariff' has not proved so injurious to the two 
former, or as beneficial to the latter, as was anticipated. 
Importations of foreign goods have not been sensibly 
diminished, while domestic competition, under an 
illusive excitement, has increased the production much 
beyond the demand for home consumption. The con- 
sequences have been low prices, temporary embar- 
rassment, and partial loss. That such of our own 
manufacturing establishments as are based upon capi- 
tal, and are prudently managed, will survive the shock, 
and be ultimately profitable, there is no good reason 
to doubt. 

" To regulate its conduct, so as to promote equally 
the prosperity of these three cardinal interests, is one 
of the most difficult tasks of government ; and it may 
be regretted that the complicated restrictions which 
now embarrass the intercourse of nations, could 
not by common consent be abolished, and commerce 
allowed to flow in those channels, to which individual 

62 



442 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

enterprise, always its surest guide, might direct it. 
But we must ever expect selfish legislation in other 
nations ; and are therefore compelled to adopt our 
own to their regulations, in the manner best calculated 
to avoid serious injury, and to harmonize the con- 
flicting interest of our agriculture, our commerce, 
and our manufactures. Under these impressions I 
invite your attention to the existing tariff, believing 
that some of its provisions require modification. 

" The general rule to be applied in graduating the 
duties upon articles of foreign growth or manufacture, 
is that which will place our own in fair competition 
with those of other countries ; and the inducements 
to advance even a step beyond this point are con- 
trolling in regard to those articles which are of pri- 
mary necessity in time of war. When we reflect 
upon the difficulty and delicacy of this operation, it is 
important that it should never be attempted but with 
the utmost caution. Frequent legislation in regard to 
any branch of industry, affecting its value, and by 
which its capital may be transferred to new channels, 
must always be productive of hazardous speculation 
and loss. 

"In deliberating, therefore, on these interesting 
subjects, local feelings and prejudices should be 
merged in the patriotic determination to promote the 
great mterests of the whole. All attempts to connect 
them with the party conflicts of the day are neces- 
sarily injurious, and should be discountenanced. Our 
action upon them should be under the control of 
higher and purer motives. Legislation, subjected to 
such influences, can never be just ; and will not long 



FIRST ANNUAL MESSAGE. 443 

retain the sanction of a people, whose active patriotism 
is not bounded by sectional limits, nor insensible to 
that spirit of concession and forbearance which gave 
life to our political compact, and still sustains it. 
Discarding all calculations of political ascendency, 
the north, the south, the east, and the west should 
unite in diminishing any burden of which either may 
justly complain. 

" The agricultural interest of our country is so es« 
sentially connected with every other, and so superior 
in itnportance to them all, that it is scarcely necessary 
to invite to it your particular attention. It is prin- 
cipally as manufactures and commerce tend to in- 
crease the value of agricultural productions, and to 
extend their application to the wants and comforts of 
society, that they deserve the fostering care of go- 
vernment. 

" Looking forward to the period, not far distant, 
when a sinking fund will no longer be required, the 
duties on those articles of importation which cannot 
come in competition with our own productions, are 
the first that should engage the attention of Congress 
in the modification of the tariff. Of these, tea and 
coffee are the most prominent ; they enter largely into 
the consumption of the country, and have become 
articles of necessity to all classes. A reduction, 
therefore, of the existing duties will be felt as a com- 
mon benefit ; but, like all other legislation connected 
with commerce, to be efficacious and not injurious, it 
should be gradual and certain." 

In this ably written message the president next 
called the attention of Congress to the favourable 



444 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

condition of the treasury, and expressed a strong 
desire for eflecting the payment of the national debt, 
which then amounted to upwards of sixty milhons of 
dollars, with all possible promptitude. He recom- 
mended that such an annual payment should be made 
as would extinguish the whole in eight years. After 
this should have been done, he recommended the di- 
vision of the surphis revenue among the states, prin- 
cipally for the purpose of internal improvements, for 
he had his doubts with respect to the authority of the 
general government to make appropriations for that 
purpose. Then referring to the condition of the 
Indian tribes within the United States, he recommend- 
ed their removal beyond the boundary of the dif- 
ferent states, but without compulsion, to such territory 
west of the Mississippi as Congress might set apart 
for their use. 

With regard to the United States Bank he said : 
*' The charter of the Bank of the United States ex- 
pires in 1836, and its stockholders will most probably 
apply for a renewal of their privileges. In order to 
avoid the evils resulting from precipitancy in a measure 
involving such important principles and such deep 
pecuniary interests, I feel that I cannot, in justice to 
the parties interested, too soon present it to the de- 
liberate consideration of the legislature and the people. 
Both the constitutionality and the expediency of the 
Jaw creating this bank are well questioned by a large 
portion of our fellow-citizens ; and it must be admitted 
by all, that it has failed in the great end of creating a 
uniform and sound currency. 

" Under these circumstances, if such an institution 



FIRST ANNUAL MESSAGE. 445 

is deemed essential to the fiscal operations of the go- 
vernment, I submit to the wisdom of the legislature 
■whether a national one, founded upon the credit of 
the government and its revenues, might not be de- 
vised, which would avoid all constitutional difficulties, 
and at the same time secure all the advantages to the 
government and country, that were expected to 
result from the present bank." 

Many of the recommendations contained in this 
message were considered immediately; but in some 
instances the views of the president were not con- 
curred in. Committees on retrenchment and reform 
made reports agreeably to the wishes of the president, 
but they were coldly received in both houses, and little 
action was taken on them during the session. The 
recommendations of amendments to the constitution 
were passed over as unimportant and neglected. The 
recommendation on the subject of a revision of the 
tariff met with better treatment, and several bills were 
introduced to diminish or repeal the duties on various 
articles of general consumption. 

On the subject of a renewal of the charter of the 
Bank of the United States, the standing committees 
of the Senate and the House, to which it was referred, 
made reports diametrically opposite to the recom- 
mendation of the president. The friends of the ad- 
ministration formed a majority in both committees, 
and the marked difference in the opinions entertained 
by them from that expressed in the president's mes- 
sage, afforded a striking proof, that Jackson was 
already far in advance of the party which had brought 
him into power, as the measures which he recommended 



446 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

at that time have been nearly all subsequently car- 
ried into effect. 

This session of the federal legislature continued 
for six months : and the followins laws were the most 
important Avhich were passed and approved by Presi- 
dent Jackson during that period : For the re-appro- 
priation of thirty thousand dollars for the suppression 
of the slave trade, which had been appropriated two 
years before, but was not expended, and which was 
founded on an act of Congress of 1819 — for repealing 
an act imposing tonnage duties on vessels, of which 
the officers and two-thirds of the seamen were citi- 
zens of the United States — for the more effectual 
collection of impost duties, appointing eight additional 
appraisers to examine goods imported — for the ap- 
pointment of an additional officer to be attached to 
the treasury department, called the solicitor of the 
treasury — for reducing the rate of duties on tea and 
coffee, as recommended by the president in his an- 
nual message ; also on salt and molasses, and allow- 
ing a drawback on spirits exported, distilled from 
that article, which the existing laws did not permit — 
for allowing a portion of the claims of Massachusetts 
for services and expenses of the militia in 1812-1814, 
in time of war, and for which that state had not 
been reimbursed ; the amount allowed being four 
hundred and thirty thousand dollars, about half the 
sum claimed — for the removal of the Indians from 
lands occupied by them within any state of the Union, 
to a territory west of the river Mississippi, and with- 
out the limits of any state, or organized territory, and 
belonging to the United States, by purchase or re- 



WEBSTER AND HAYNE. 447 

linquishment of the Indians, by treaty ; to divide such 
western territory into districts, for the reception and 
permanent settlement of those who should consent 
to emigrate from their residence on the east of that 
river, they relinquishing all claims to lands they then 
occupied; the tribes to have the solemn assurance 
of government, that it will for ever secure and 
guaranty to them and their posterity, the tract of 
country so exchanged by them for the lands they 
should quit in Georgia, Alabama, and any other states; 
and should they abandon the territory at any future 
time, the same to revert to the United States; the 
Indians to be reimbursed for their improvements made 
on the lands they may leave ; to be aided in their re- 
moval and supported for one year by the federal go- 
vernment; to be protected against assaults from other 
tribes in the vicinity of their new residence ; and five 
hundred thousand dollars were granted for carrying 
the same into effect.* 

During this session of Congress, a highly interest- 
ting debate took place in the Senate, on a resolution 
offered by Mr. Foote, of Connecticut, relating to the 
public lands, in the course of which, Mr. Hayne, of 
South Carolina, introduced the subject of state rights, 
and contended that the several states within which the 
public lands were situated, should have the entire 
control and jurisdiction over them. Mr. Webster 
replied to Mr. Hayne in one of the most eloquent, 
powerful, and effective speeches ever delivered in 
Congress ; and contended that on subjects fully com- 

* Bradford's History of the Federal Government. 



448 



FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 




Daniel Webster. 



mitted to the government, by the constitution, its 
powers were absolute, exclusive, and unlimited ; that 
no state, nor even a number of states, might justly 
interfere in such cases ; and that the public lands, not 
expressly ceded to a particular state, were solely and 
absolutely at the disposal of the United States go- 
vernment. This speech produced a most wonderful 
effect throughout the Union, and destroyed for a time 
the hopes of the advocates of the new doctrine of 
nullification ; yet the views of Mr. Hayne, respecting 
state rights and powers, continued to be entertained 



MAYSVILLE AND LEXINGTON ROAD BILL. 449 

and asserted by a large and respectable portion of 
the people of the southern states. No particular law 
resulted from this able and protracted discussion. 

The question of internal improvements by the 
general government was also discussed at the first 
session of the twenty-first Congress, and a bill was 
passed, in the House, by a vote of 102 to 85, and in 
the Senate by 24 to 18, authorizing a subscription to 
the stock of the Maysville and Lexington Road Com- 
pany, in Kentucky. The bill thus passed by so large 
a majority, was sent to the president for his approval. 
After retaining it eight days, he returned it to the 
House on the 27th of May, 1830, with his objections. 

The reading of this veto message caused much 
excitement in Congress. Many of the friends of the 
president from Pennsylvania and from the west, had 
relied upon his approbation of this bill and of the 
system of internal improvements by Congress ; and 
this message first forced upon their minds a conviction 
as unwelcome as it was unexpected. The question 
being taken upon the passage of the bill, notwith- 
standing the objections of the president, the vote 
stood yeas 96, nays 92. Two-thirds of the house not 
agreeing to pass the bill, it was rejected ; though a ma- 
jority of the house thus refused to sustain the objec- 
tions of the president. 

Two days afterwards the House of Representa- 
tives took up several bills, which had been sent to 
them from the Senate, relating to internal improve- 
ments ; and, notwithstanding the veto of the Mays- 
ville road bill, passed, by large majorities, three acts, 
the first of which authorized a subscription to the 
63 



450 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

Washington Turnpike Company; the second, to the 
Louisville and Portland Canal Company, and the third 
appropriating money for light-houses, improving har- 
bours, directing surveys, &c. The first bill being 
similar to the one already rejected by the president, 
was returned by him to the Senate, where it originated ; 
with a reference to the message on the Maysville bill 
for his reasons. The Senate then proceeded to re- 
consider the bill, and on the question of its passage, 
the vote stood yeas 21, nays 17; and the majority 
being less than two-thirds, the bill was rejected. The 
other two bills were retained by the president until 
after the adjournment of Congress, May 31st, 1830, 
and were consequently lost.* 

The second session of the twenty-first Congress 
commenced on the 6th of December, 1830, and con- 
tinued to the 3d of March, 1831. The annual mes- 
sage of President Jackson in December, 1830, was 
unusually elaborate. In it he gave a full and minute 
statement of the acts of the executive department 
during the recess of the legislature. Among the 
more important of these acts were the nominal im- 
provement of the commercial intercourse with the 
colonial ports of Great Britain, and advantageous 
treaties negotiated with Turkey, Denmark, France, 
and Mexico. 

By the treaty with the Sublime Porte, a free pas- 
sage was secured, without limitation of time, to the 
vessels of the United States to and from the Black 
Sea, including the navigation thereof; and our trade 

* Statesman's Manual. 



SECOND ANNUAL MESSAGE. 45^ 

with Turkey was placed on the footing of the most 
favoured nations of Europe. A treaty had been 
agreed on with Denmark, by which six hundred and 
fifty thousand dollars were to be paid to American 
citizens as an indemnity for spoliations upon their com- 
merce in 1808-1811. 

Similar indemnity was expected soon to be re- 
ceived from some other European governments, on 
whom claims had been several years before made for 
like previous depredations. The negotiations with 
France for a recognition and allowance of claims on 
that government, in consequence of depredations com- 
mitted on American commerce at former times, and 
to a large amount, had been prosecuted with renewed 
zeal and with a strong hope of speedy success ; for a 
friendly spirit was manifested by the French govern- 
ment on the subject, although some objections were 
offered as to an allowance of all the claims; the 
recent resolution in France indicating a favourable 
result to the negotiation, as well as a proper occasion 
for extending the commercial intercourse between the 
two countries. The strongest assurances had been 
received of the early and favourable consideration of 
the subjects of difference with Spain. The president 
then gave his reasons in full for the course he had 
pursued in relation to internal improvements. He 
represented the financial affairs of the government as 
in a most prosperous condition; the expenditures 
during the year being estimated at less than fourteen 
milhons of dollars, exclusive of the amount appro- 
priated for paying the annual instalment of the public 



452 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

debt, which was eleven milUons; and the receipts into 
the treasury exceeding twenty-four milhons. 

In the address of the president at this time, he 
again repeated his opinion of the propriety of hmit- 
ing the president's tenure of office to one term of 
four or six years; he expressed his views at some 
length of the powers of the federal and state govern- 
ments, and of the importance of avoiding all en- 
croachments of each upon the other ; he referred to 
the condition of the Indians, and gave his unqualified 
testimony to the " benevolent policy" of the federal 
government, from its origin, towards these uncivilized 
people. He informed Congress that two important 
tribes had accepted the provision made for their 
removal at the last session of Congress, and he be- 
lieved that their example would soon induce the re- 
maining tribes to seek the same obvious advantages. 
He again recommended a modification of the tariff 
law of 1828, which, he said, *' taxed some of the com- 
forts of life unnecessarily high, and undertook to 
protect interests too local and minute to justify a 
general exaction." 

He then informed them that nothing had occurred 
to lessen in any degree the dangers which many 
American citizens apprehended from the rechartering 
of the Bank of the United States, as then organized. 
In the spirit of improvement and compromise which 
distinguished our country and its institutions, it would 
become the people's representatives to inquire whether 
it would not be possible to secure the advantages 
afforded by that bank, through the agency of a bank 
of the United States so modified in its principles and 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT. 4^3 

structure as to obviate constitutional and other ob- 
jections. 

There were two or three acts of Congress for the 
purpose of internal improvement, passed at this ses- 
sion by such overwhelming majorities, as to induce 
the president to yield his scruples to the force of 
public opinion and sign the bills. The principal acts of 
Congress of general interest approved by the president 
during the second session of the 21st Congress, were 
the following : Making appropriations for the improve- 
ment of harbours and removing obstructions in rivers ; 
to amend the copyright laws, by extending the term 
of copyright to authors and others, to twenty-eight 
years, with the privilege of renewing the same for the 
additional period of fourteen years ; for the continua- 
tion of the Cumberland Road in Ohio, Indiana, and 
Illinois ; confirming certain grants of land made by the 
United States in 1819, for the encouragement of the 
culture of the vine and olive ; granting the control of 
the National Road in Ohio to that state for the purpose 
of erecting gates and toll-houses thereon, and an act 
allowing duties on imports to be paid at Pittsburg, 
Cincinnati, Nashville, and other ports on the waters 
of the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers.* 

About this time it was asserted by the opponents 
of the president, that his opinions were influenced, 
and appointments to office effected, through the in- 
strumentality of a cabal said to have been composed 
principally of subordinate officeholders, who had been 
consequently named the "kitchen cabinet." This 

* Statesman's Manual, p, 983. 



454 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

libel, though long asserted, and believed by many, is 
now well known to have been false, and to have had 
its origin in complaints of disappointed political dema- 
gogues. So far from the president's delegating any 
portion of his proper duties to irresponsible persons, 
he was scrupulously attentive to the exact discharge 
of them himself. No person ever presumed to inter- 
fere with his duties in the way of dictation or even 
suggestion. He is known to have read with care every 
letter addressed to him as President of the United 
States, and it was his constant practice to note on 
the backs of those requiring answers a memorandum 
of the answer which he thought necessary, before 
handing them over to his secretary ; who would then 
write bis answers from the president's notes on each 
letter. Matters requiring to be referred to a depart- 
ment were referred with the president's opinion where 
it was necessary. 

General Jackson had hitherto expressed the opin- 
ion that the president ought to hold his office but one 
term, and had more than once recommended an 
amendment of the constitution to that effect. But in 
1831 he yielded to the importunities of many politi- 
cal friends, as well as to the expressed wishes of the 
legislatures of the states of Pennsylvania and New 
York, and consented to be a candidate for re-election. 

Between the months of April and June 1831, 
owing to some misunderstanding existing between the 
secretary of war and the other members of the cabi- 
net, they all, except the postmaster-general, resigned ; 
and the new cabinet, which was not completely or- 
ganized until late in the summer, was constituted as 



SECOND ANNUAL MESSAGE 455 

follows: — Edward Livingston, of Louisiana, Secretary 
of State ; Louis M'Lane, of Delaware, Secretary of 
the Treasury ; Lewis Cass, of Ohio, Secretary of War; 
Levi Woodbury, of New Hampshire, Secretary of 
the Navy ; Roger B. Taney, of Maryland, Attorney 
General ; and William T. Barry, of Kentucky, Post- 
master-General, continued. 

This cabinet was not only superior to that which 
preceded it, but might fairly be compared, in point of 
talent and ability, with most of those of previous ad- 
ministrations ; and its character furnished strong 
testimony of the tribute paid to public opinion in the 
selection of his advisers, by a chief magistrate of 
great personal popularity.* 

The first session of the 22d Congress commenced 
on the 5th of December, 1831, and continued to July 
14th, 1832. The president's annual message con- 
tained the usual amount of information yi relation to 
the foreign and domestic affairs of the country, and 
nearly the same recommendations as the last. 

The census of 1830 having been completed, a 
new apportionment of representatives among the 
different states was made, and the ratio fixed was one 
representative for forty-seven thousand seven hundred 
inhabitants. 

The following were the most important measures 
of the federal government and the political events 
aflfecting the United States, which happened in 1831, 
and were made known by the president to both houses 
of Congress in his third annual message. As the 

* Statesman's Manual, 987. 



456 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

King of the Netherlands, to whom had been referred 
the adjustment of the dispute between the United 
States and Great Britain with respect to the North- 
Eastern boundary, had departed from the real question 
referred to him, and given an opinion which was of the 
nature of a compromise, the government of the United 
States did not acquiesce in his judgment. The treaty 
with France was finally settled, the sum provided to 
be paid for commercial spoliations being sufficient to 
satisfy most of the claimants. Treaties of com- 
merce were renewed with Sweden and Denmark. 
The removal of some Indian tribes from the states 
in which they had formerly resided, had been effected 
during the year, and others were preparing also to 
remove in the year following — they were chiefly from 
the states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia — and 
the lands provided for their future settlement were 
far west of .the river Mississippi, and beyond the 
territory occupied by citizens of the United States; 
and where they were to be entirely separated from all 
state authority ; which, it was supposed, would con- 
duce to their welfare, their preservation, and to the 
peace of the nation. The public finances appeared 
to be in as prosperous state as for several preceding 
years, and the usual reduction of the national debt 
was made. The president again expressed his views 
as given on a former occasion, of the propriety of an 
alteration of the constitution, for preventing the same 
person from being elected as president of the United 
States for a second term; and against the policy 
of renewing the charter of the Bank of the United 
States, which would expire in 1836. He again recom- 



REJECTION OF VAN BUREN. 



457 




Martin Van Bureii. 



mended an alteration or modijfication of the tariff 
of 1828.* 

During this session of Congress the Senate re- 
jected the president's nomination of Mr. Van Buren 
as minister to England. As he had been appointed 
and sent to the court of St. James during the recess, 
the rejection was necessarily followed by his recall. 



* Bradford. 



64 



458 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

This act of the Senate excited strongly the indigna- 
tion of the president and the people ; and it was un- 
doubtedly a principal cause of Mr. Van Buren's sub- 
sequent nomination for the office of president. 

Many subjects of great interest came under the 
consideration of Congress at this session ; and among 
them none excited more of the public attention than 
that of the renewal of the charter of the Bank of the 
United States. This bank had been established in 
1816, with a charter for twenty years, 

P'rom the time of Jackson's election in 1829, he 
had opposed the measure of the renewal of the 
charter, alone and unsupported, but with the utmost 
determination. His views led him to limit the central 
authority ; and this, like other commercial and moneyed 
bodies, bearing an aristocratic character, excited his 
peculiar jealousy. Even in his first annual message, 
he intimated that its constitutionality and expediency 
were riuch questioned, and suggested another insti- 
tution, founded on the security of government and its 
revenues. This declaration was the signal of deadly 
war between him and the bank. That establishment 
seeing its existence threatened, is alleged to have 
employed its funds and its influence in efforts at once 
to defend itself, and to shake his authority. In his 
second message he again renewed the proposal of a 
bank which should be a branch of the treasury, with- 
out liberty to issue notes, make loans, or purchase 
property. On the 9th of January, 1832, however, a 
petition being presented to Congress for a new charter 
to the existing institution, was referred to a select 
committee, which, on the 13th of March, reported in 



BANK BILL VETOED. 459 

its favour, recommending only some limitations to the 
power of issuing notes and holding real property, also 
the payment of a bonus of one million five hundred 
thousand dollars. After long debates and various 
amendments, a bill for this purpose was carried in 
the Senate by a vote of 28 to 20, and in the House 
of Representatives by 107 to 85 ; but, being on the 
4th of July sent to the president, it was returned to 
the Senate on the 10th of July with an absolute veto, 
which, not being opposed by two-thirds, decided the 
fate of the bank. 

" Never, from the first moment of Jackson's ad- 
ministration to the last, was there a calm in the strife 
of parties on the subject of the currency ; and never, 
during the whole period^ did he recede or falter. 
Always in advance of his party — -always having near 
him friends who cowered before the hardihood of his 
courage, he himself, throughout all the contest, was 
unmoved, from the first suggestion of the uncon- 
stitutionality of the bank, to the moment when he 
himself^- first of all, reasoning from the certain 
tendency of its policy, with singular sagacity pre- 
dicted to unbelieving friends the coming insolvency of 
the institution. 

" The storm throughout the country rose with un- 
exampled vehemence ; his opponents were not satisfied 
with addressing the public, or Congress, or his cabi- 
net ; they threw their whole force personally on him. 
From all parts men pressed around him, urging him, 
entreating him to bend. Congress was flexible ; many 
of his personal friends faltered ; the impetuous swell- 
ing wave rolled on without one sufficient obstacle till 



460 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

it reached his presence ; but, as it dashed in its high- 
est fury at his feet, it broke before his firmness. The 
commanding majesty of his will appalled his oppo- 
nents, and revived his friends. He himself had a 
proud consciousness that his will was indomitable. 
Standing over the rocks of the Rip Raps, looking out 
upon the ocean, 'Providence,' said he to a friend, 
' Providence may change my determination ; but man 
can no more do it than he can remove these Rip 
Raps, which have resisted the rolling ocean from the 
beginning of time.' And though a panic was spread- 
mg through the land, and the whole credit system, as 
it then existed, was crumbling to pieces and crushing 
around him, he stood erect, like a massive column, 
which the heaps of falling ruins could not break, nor 
bend, nor sway from its fixed foundation."* 

The tariff of 1828 was also slightly modified by 
this Congress in July 1832, but the small and partial 
reduction of duties secured by this act did not lessen, 
but rather seemed to increase the opposition, in the 
southern states, to the American system, as the 
policy of high duties on imports, for the protection 
of domestic manufactures, was then called. In 
South Carolina the complaints and the opposition ex- 
ceeded those made in any of the other states ; and it 
was resolved a few months after the passage of the 
law of July 1832, not by a few individuals, but by 
the legislature of the state, that that and the former 
law of 1828 were infractions of the constitution, or 
exceeded the power given to the federal government 

* Bancroft's Eulogy. 



NULLIFICATION. 461 

by that compact ; and were therefore null and void ; 
and that the execution of those acts within the state was 
to be prevented^ even by force, if necessary* And the 
necessary measures were taken to enforce this reso- 
lution. 

These proceedings by the party which had obtained 
possession of the state government, brought on an 
issue between the state and federal governments, that 
could no longer be neglected. The very existence of 
the government depended upon the decision of the 
president. South Carolina had set at defiance the 
authority of the general government, and declared 
that no umpire should be admitted to decide between 
the contending parties. At such a crisis, the presi- 
dent felt that there was no room for hesitation. The 
difficulty must be met, not only to save the Union 
from being broken up, but to protect those citizens of 
South Carolina who still adhered to its standard, from 
the horrors of civil discord. The president deter- 
mined to come at once to an issue with the nulhfi- 
ers ; to place the powers of the government upon the 
broad ground that the federal judiciary was the only 
proper tribunal to decide upon the constitutionality of 
its laws; and to enforce the revenue acts with an 
entire disregard to the pretended rights of sovereignty 
which were assumed by the state of South Carolina. 

With that view all the disposable military force 
was ordered to assemble at Charleston, and a sloop 
of war was sent to that port to protect the federal 
officers, in case of necessity, in the execution of their 

* Bradford. 



462 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

duty. On the 10th of December, the eloquent and 
energetic proclamation of the president was issued, 
plainly and forcibly stating the nature of the Ameri- 
can government, and the supremacy of the federal 
authorities in all matters intrusted to their care ; and 
exhorting the citizens of South Carolina not to persist 
in a course which must bring upon their state the 
force of the confederacy, and expose the Union to the 
hazard of dissolution.* 

In this memorable proclamation he speaks to 
the citizens of the disaffected states with fraternal 
kindness. He points to the constitution as the per- 
petual bond of our union, which we have received as 
the work of the assembled wisdom of the nation, in 
which we have trusted as the sheet anchor of our 
safety, in the stormy times of conflict with a foreign 
or domestic foe; to which we have looked with a 
sacred awe, as the palladium of our liberties; and 
which, with all the solemnities of religion, we have 
pledged to each other our lives and fortunes here, and 
our hopes of happiness hereafter, to defend and sup- 
port. He invokes the descendants of the Pinckneys, 
the Sumters, the Rutledges, and the thousand other 
names which adorn their revolutionary history, not to 
abandon that Union, to support which, so many of 
them fought, and bled, and died. He adjures them, as 
they honour their memory, as they love the cause of 
freedom, to which they dedicated their lives, as they 
prize the peace of our country, the lives of its best 
citizens, and their own fair fame, to retrace theii- steps. 

* iStatcsinairs Manual, p. 999. 



JACKSON'S PROCLAMATION. 463 

But having entreated, invoked, and adjured with fatherly 
affection — having placed before them the motives for 
returning to the path of duty, he assumes the dignity 
of the magistrate, and denounces the penalty of con- 
tinued resistance. He tells them that they cannot de- 
stroy the constitution : they may disturb its peace, in 
terrupt the course of its prosperity, and cloud its 
reputation for stability ; but its tranquillity will be re^- 
restored, its prosperity will return, and the stain upon its 
national character will be transferred, and remain an 
eternal blot on the memory of those who caused the 
disorder. He then announces to his fellow-citizens of 
the United States, that a crisis had approached in 
our affairs, on which the continuance of our uninter- 
rupted prosperity, our political existence, and perhaps 
that of all free governments may depend. He relies 
with confidence on their individual support, in his de- 
termination to execute the laws— to preserve the 
Union by all constitutional means ; to arrest, if pos- 
sible, by moderate but firm measures, the necessity of 
a recourse to force ; and, if it be the will of Heaven 
that the recurrence of its primeval curse on man, for 
the shedding of a brother's blood, should fall upon our 
land, that it be not called down by any offensive act 
on the part of the United States.* 

" By nature, by impulse, by education, political sym- 
pathies, and the fixed habit of his mind, a friend to 
the rights of the states — unwilling that the hberty of 
the states should be trampled under foot — unwilling 
that the constitution should lose its vigour, or be im- 

*Shunk's Eulogy. 



464 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

paired, General Jackson thus rallied for the constitu- 
tion : and in its name he published to the world, ' The 
Union: it must be preserved.' The words were a 
spell to hush evil passion, and to remove oppression. 
Under his guiding influence, the favoured interests 
which had struggled to perpetuate unjust legislation, 
yielded to the voice of moderation and reform ; and 
every mind that had for a moment contemplated a 
rupture of the states, discarded it for ever. The 
whole influence of the past was invoked in favour of 
the constitution ; from the council chambers of the 
fathers who moulded our institutions — from the hall 
where American independence was declared, the clear 
loud cry was uttered — ' The Union : it must be pre- 
served.' From every battle-field of the Revolution — 
from Lexington and Bunker Hill — from Saratoga and 
Yorktown — from the fields of Eutaw — from the cane- 
brakes that sheltered the men of Marion — the re- 
peated, long-prolonged echoes came up — ' The Union : 
it must be preserved.' From every valley in our 
land — from every cabin on the pleasant mountain 
sides — from the ships at our wharves — from the tents 
of the hunter in our westernmost prairies — from the 
living minds of the living millions of American free- 
men — from the thickly coming glories of futurity — 
the shout went up like the sound of many waters, 
' The Union : it must be preserved.' The friends of 
the protective system and they who had denounced 
the protective system — the statesmen of the north, 
who had wounded the constitution in their love of 
centralism — of the south, whose minds had carried to 
its extreme the theory of state rights^ — all conspired 



JACKSON'S PROCLAMATION. 465 

together; all breathed prayers for the perpetuity of 
the Union. Under the prudent firmness of Jackson — 
under the mixture of justice and general regard for 
all interests, the greatest danger to our institutions 
was turned aside, and mankind was encouraged to 
believe that our Union, like our freedom, is imperish- 
able. 

" The moral of the great events of those days is 
this : that the people can discern right, and will make 
their way to a knowledge of right ; that the whole 
human mind, and therefore, with it, the mind of the 
nation, has a continuous, ever improving existence; 
that the appeal from the unjust legislation of to-day 
must be made quietly, earnestly, perseveringly, to the 
enlightened collective reason of to-morrow ; that sub- 
mission is due to the popular will, in the confidence 
that the people, when in error, will amend their 
doings; that in a popular government, injustice is 
neither to be established by force, nor to be resisted 
by force; in a word, that the Union, which was con- 
stituted by consent, must be preserved by love."* 

One of the most remarkable features in this con- 
test was the unprecedented position of Mr. Calhoun. 
He had had a misunderstanding with the president in 
the earlier part of his administration ; and now, at the 
call of his own state, he resigned his oflice of vice 
president, was elected one of her Senators in Con- 
gress, and took his seat in that body to defend her 



cause. 



The president on this momentous occasion was 

* Bancroft's Eulogy. 
65 



466 



FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 




John C. Calhoun. 



nobly supported by the leaders of" the opposition party 
in Congress, with Mr. Webster at their head ; and the 
South Carolinians were finally pacified by the passage 
of the well known compromise act proposed by Mr. 
Clay, which provided for a gradual reduction of duties 
on imported merchandise. 

During the year 1832, some difficulties occurred 
with the Indian tribes on the north-western frontier 
of the United States. The hostile incursions of the 
Sac and Fox Indians under Black Hawk, necessarily 
led to the interposition of the general governmento 
Detachments of troops, under Generals Scott and 



JACKSON RE-ELECTED. 467 

Atkinson, and of the militia of the state of IlHnois, 
were called into the field. After a harassing war- 
fare, prolonged by the nature of the country, and by 
the difficulty of procuring subsistence, the Indians 
were entirely defeated, and the disaffected band dis- 
persed or destroyed. 

Before the meeting of Congress in December 
1832, the presidential election had taken place, and 
the votes of the electors for president stood as fol- 
lows: Andrew Jackson 219, Henry Clay 49, John 
Floyd 11, and Wilham Wirt 7. For vice president — 
Martin Van Buren 189, John Sergeant 49, William 
Wilkins 30, Henry Lee 11, and Amos Ellmaker 7. 

The second session of the 22d Congress com- 
menced on the 4th of December, 1832, and continued 
till the 3d of March, 1833. In his annual message to 
Congress, the president referred particularly, and at 
o-reat length, to the laws regulating duties on imported 
articles, more especially on woollen and cotton goods ; 
although an act on the subject passed at the previous 
session of the legislature, was adopted after mature 
deliberation, and was intended to be continued in 
force for some years, and until the entire payment of 
the public debt should be effected. But that act had 
not given general satisfaction ; for after its passage, 
the opposition in South Carolina to the system of 
high duties for the protection of manufactures had 
continued, and assumed an alarming character, as 
already related. The president did not, indeed, 
recommend a total repeal of tlie law in consequence 
of such opposition, but he expressed the opinion and 
desire that some compromise should be made; and 



468 FIRST PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

the law so modified as to be less exceptionable than 
it was with its present provisions. An act already 
referred to as proposed by Mr. Clay was accordingly 
passed by Congress, before its adjournment in March 
1833, modifying, in some important points, the law of 
the previous session. It provided for the gradual re- 
duction of the duties on imports, to take effect, in 
part, on the first of January, 1834; on the first of 
January, 1836; on the first of January, 1838; and on 
the first of January, 1840: in the following manner — 
from all duties, which exceeded twenty per cent, on 
the value of the imported goods or articles, one-tenth 
part of such excess should be deducted, at each of the 
said periods; and that on and after the first of Jan- 
uary, 1842, one-half of the residue of such excess 
should be deducted, and the other half on and after the 
first of June, 1842.* 

In his annual message in December 1832, the 
president recommended the removal of the public 
money from the United States Bank ; but the com- 
mittee of ways and means in the House reported a 
resolution, which was adopted by a vote of 109 to 46, 
declaring that the deposite, in the opinion of the House, 
might be safely continued in the Bank of the United 
States. 

At the close of President Jackson's first term of 
service, the foreign relations of the United States, 
with the exception of those with France, were in a 
favourable position. The first instalment of the indem- 
nity to be paid according to the treaty, by France, 

* Bradford. 



FOREIGN RELATIONS. 469 

was drawn for, in a bill of exchange by the American 
government, but the French chambers had not made 
any appropriation to meet it, and the bill was not 
accepted. This neglect was warmly resented by the 
president. Instructions were given to the American 
minister to urge upon the French government a 
prompt compliance with the treaty. With Russia, a 
treaty of commerce was concluded in December, 1832, 
upon the principles of reciprocity. A similar treaty 
was made with Belgium. Some claims of American 
merchants against Portugal for illegal captures were 
prosecuted to a successful result, and an effort was 
made by the administration to procure satisfaction 
from Spain, for illegal detentions and captures of 
American property, subsequent to the treaty of 1819 ; 
and an acknowledgment of their justice was finally 
extorted from that government. A treaty of com- 
merce was concluded with Chili.* The United States 
was in this favourable position at the close of Jackson's 
first term of service in March, 1833. 

* Statesman's Manual, p. 1013. 





CHAPTER XIX. 



SECOND PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 




N the fourth of March, 1833, General 
Jackson assumed, for the second time, 
the responsible station of President of 
the United States. At 12 o'clock on 
that day, he, with the Vice President 
elect, attended by the heads of de- 
partments. Senators, Representatives, Judges of the 
Supreme Court, foreign ministers, and the municipal 
authorities of the city of Washington, entered the 
Hall of the Representatives. The president took his 
seat in the chair of the speaker of the House ; the vice 
president elect, Martin Van Buren, occupying a seat 



INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 471 

on his right, and his private secretary, Mr. Donelson, 
one on his letlt. As soon as silence was obtained, 
and every one had taken the station he wished to 
occupy during the impressive ceremony which was to 
follow, the president arose and delivered his second 
inaugural address. 

He commenced by expressing his gratitude to the 
people of the United States for this renewed expres- 
sion of their confidence in his good intentions, and 
then Avent on to notice the principal events which 
occurred during his previous administration, referring 
particularly to the position then occupied by the 
United States among the nations of the earth. He 
said, " The foreign policy adopted by our government, 
soon after the formation of our present constitution, 
and very generally pursued by successive administra- 
tions, has been crowned with almost complete success, 
and has elevated our character among the nations of 
the earth. To do justice to all, and to submit to 
wrong from none, has been, during my administration, 
its governing maxim : and so happy have been its 
results, that we are not only at peace with all the 
world, but have few causes of controversy, and those 
of minor importance, remaining unadjusted. 

" In the domestic policy of the government, there 
are two objects which especially deserve the attention 
of the people and their representatives, and which 
have been, and will continue to be, the subjects of my 
unceasing solicitude. They are the preservation of 
the rights of the several states, and the integrity of 
the Union. These great objects are necessarily con- 
nected, and can only be attained by an enlightened 



\ 



472 SECOND PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

exercise of the powers of each within its appropriate 
sphere, in conformity to the public will, constitutionally 
expressed. To this end, it becomes the duty of all 
to yield a ready and patriotic submission to the laws 
constitutionally enacted, and thereby promote and 
strengthen a proper confidence in those institutions of 
the several states and of the United States, which 
the people themselves have ordained for their own 
government." 

In conformity with the obligations of the oath 
which he was about to take, he said, " I shall continue 
to exert all my faculties to maintain the just powers 
of the constitution, and to transmit unimpaired to pos- 
terity the blessings of our federal Union. At the same 
time, it will be my aim to inculcate, by my official 
acts, the necessity of exercising, by the general go- 
vernment, those powers only that are clearly delega- 
ted ; to encourage simplicity and economy in the ex- 
penditures of the government ; to raise no more money 
from the people than may be requisite for these ob- 
jects, and in a manner that will best promote the in- 
terests of all classes of the community, and of all 
portions of the Union." He concluded his address, 
as he did all other important speeches and papers, by 
praying that the Creator and Governor of the world 
would so overrule all his intentions and actions, and 
inspire the hearts of his fellow-citizens, that they may 
be preserved from dangers of all kinds, and continue 
for ever a united and happy people. 

The president pronounced this address in an 
audible, clear, and firm voice; and at its conclusion he 
was greeted with the cheers and applause of those 



OUTRAGE ON THE PRESIDENT. 473 

present. The usual oath was then administered by 
the chief justice to the president and vice president, 
after which they retired, receiving as they went the 
congratulations of the assembled multitude. 

About two months afterwards, as the president 
was proceeding, by invitation, to assist in the cere- 
mony of laying the corner-stone of the monument to 
the mother of Washington at Fredericksburg, an in- 
cident happened, which serves to illustrate the promp- 
titude and decision of his character. As the steam- 
boat stopped for a few moments at the wharf at 
Alexandria, several persons came on board, as was 
supposed, to pay their respects to the president. 
Among them was one named Randolph, who, seeing 
the president engaged in the cabin, and in such a po- 
sition between the table and the berths that he could 
not instantly defend himself, advanced, and thrust his 
hand violently into Jackson's face. Before he could 
repeat the blow he was seized, by friend or foe it was 
impossible to determine which, and hurried off the 
boat, leaving his hat behind. In endeavouring to rise 
to repel this assault, the president broke down part 
of the table, and hurt his own side, which had before 
been racked with pain. In explaining the affair to 
the members of the cabinet and others in the cabin, 
Jackson said that had he known that Randolph stood 
before him, he should have been prepared for him, and 
have easily defended himself. " No villain," said he, 
" has ever escaped me before ; and he would not, had 
it not been for my confined situation." A citizen of 
Alexandria, then addressing him, said : " Sir, if you 
will pardon me, in case I am tried and convicted, I 
66 



474 SECOND PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

will kill Randolph, for this insult to you, in fifteen 
minutes." The president wisely and promptly re- 
plied, " No sir, I cannot do that. I want no man to 
stand between me and my assailants, and none to take 
revenge on my account. Had I been prepared for 
this cmimrdly villaiti's approach, I can assure you 
all, that he would never have the temerity to under- 
take such a thing again."* 

The gloom occasioned by this outrage was not dis- 
pelled until the steamboat stopped opposite to Mount 
Vernon, and three ladies, descendants of Washington, 
and residents of Mount Vernon, came on board, and 
each of them presented to the president a bunch 
of flowers culled from the garden planted by the hands 
of the Father of his country. After assisting in laying 
the corner-stone of the monument, Jackson returned 
to Washington, whence every cause of dissension and 
disturbance seemed to have been banished ; and the 
second term of his magistracy bid fair to be as quiet 
and calm as the first had been stormy and turbulent. 
This apparent calm was destined to be but of short 
duration ; for in September, a new subject of excite- 
ment was introduced into polities, which continued to 
agitate the public mind until near the close of Jack- 
son's administration. 

On the 6th of June, 1833, the president started 
from Washinston to visit the northern and eastern 
portion of the Union. He passed through Baltimore, 
Delaware and New Castle, and arrived at Philadelphia 
on the 8th of June. Throughout the whole route, 

* New York Mirror. 



JACKSON'S TOUR. 475 

at every town, village, and city, he was welcomed with 
lively demonstrations of respect. Landing at the 
Philadelphia Navy Yard, on Saturday afternoon, 
at five o'clock, he was welcomed with a national 
salute, and greeted with the cheers of an immense 
multitude who were assembled at every point from 
which a sight of him might be had. His whole course 
from the Navy Yard to the hotel, was lined with citi- 
zens of both sexes, who vied with each other in ren- 
dering honour to the chief magistrate of the Union. 

" The public reception of the president at Philadel- 
phia, took place on Monday. At an early hour the 
city was alive with the bustle of extensive preparation, 
and the streets through which the procession was to 
pass grew very populous as he approached. From 
nine until twelve o'clock, the president remained at 
the State House to receive the compliments of his fel- 
low-citizens. At the latter hour he proceeded on 
horseback to Arch street, where he reviewed the mili- 
tary. The president was dressed in a suit of deep 
black, and passed along a great portion of the route 
with his hat off. The appearance of the military, 
who assembled in great numbers, was imposing and 
effective. Towards five o'clock the procession 
reached the City Hotel, and the president alighted, 
evidently gratified with a reception at once so re- 
spectful and so general."* 

Leaving Philadelphia, the president next visited 
Burlington, Bristol, Bordentown, Lamberton, Tren- 
ton, Princeton, New Brunswick, Amboy, New York, 

* Lincoln's Lives of the Presidents. 



476 SECOND PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

New Haven, Newport, Providence, Dedham, Roxbury, 
Boston, Cambridge, Charlestown, Lynn, Salem, Mar- 
blehead, Andover, and Lowell. The reception which 
he met with at each of these places, varied only with 
the number of inhabitants, or its wealth and impor- 
tance. At Cambridge the degree of Doctor of Laws 
was conferred on him by the president of Harvard 
University. 

Having reached Lowell on the 27th of June, he 
continued his route to Concord, N. H. ; but there 
finding that his strength would not permit him to pro- 
ceed any farther, though he had intended to visit 
Portland, he was under the necessity of giving up the 
journey, and returning to Washington. 

It was soon after this northern tour that some 
changes were made in the cabinet. Louis M'Lane, 
the Secretary of the Treasury, resigned, and Edward 
Livingston being appointed Minister to France, Mr. 
M'Lane was transferred to the State department, and 
William J. Duane, of Pennsylvania, was appointed 
his successor. 

The law of 1816, which created the United States 
Bank, required that the public moneys should be de- 
posited in that bank, subject to be removed only by 
the secretary of the treasury ; and requiring him, in 
that case, to lay his reasons for removing them before 
Congress. Congress had already refused to author- 
ize the removal of the deposites, and the president was 
now determined to effect it on his own responsibility. 

The new secretary of the treasury refusing to 
act in this matter, and resigning his office, the 
attorney-general, Roger B. Taney, was appointed in 



EXPUNGING RESOLUTIONS. 477 

his place. The vacancy in the cabinet was filled by 
the appointment of Benjamin F. Butler, of New York, 
as Attorney-General. Mr. Taney immediately issued 
the necessary orders for the removal of the de- 
posites from the United States Bank; a measure 
which resulted from the president's determination to 
dissolve all connexion between the government and 
the bank. 

The first session of the twenty-third Congress 
commenced on the 2d day of December, 1833, and 
continued to June 30th, 1834. One of the first acts 
of the Senate was the adoption of a resolution, by a 
vote of 26 to 20, declaring " that the president, in the 
late executive proceedings in relation to the public 
revenue, had assumed upon himself authority and 
power not conferred by the constitution and laws, but 
in derogation of both." This resolution remained on 
the journal until January 16th, 1837, when it was 
expunged by order of the Senate. The Senate next 
rejected the nomination of Roger B. Taney, as Sec- 
retary of the Treasury, and confirmed that of Levi 
Woodbury, appointed in his stead. Before the close 
of the session, Mr. M'Lane having resigned the of- 
fice of Secretary of State, John Forsyth, of Georgia, 
was appointed to succeed him, and Mahlon Dickerson 
of New Jersey, was appointed Secretary of the Navy, 
in the place of Mr. Woodbury. 

The measures taken by the United States Bank, in 
consequence of the removal of the deposites, occasioned 
much embarrassment throughout the mercantile com- 
munity, during the years 1834 and 1835. Commit- 
tees appointed by the merchants, mechanics, and 



478 SECOND PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

tradesmen of the principal commercial cities solicited 
the president to replace the government deposites in 
the United States Bank. But the removal of the 
deposites having been dictated by his sense of public 
duty, it was found impossible to change his resolution. 
He was equally insensible to menace or entreaty. 
Many petitions were sent to Congress on the same 
subject. They were favourably received in the Senate ; 
but the House of Representatives sustaining the 
president, they met with but little favour there.* 

The twenty-third Congress convened for the second 
time, on the 1st of December, 1834, and continued in 
session until the 3d of March, 1835. In his sixth 
annual message, the president represented the state of 
the country as highly prosperous, and its future pros- 
pects in the highest degree flattering to every patri- 
otic citizen. The state of the treasury at the close 
of the year he summed up as follows : " After satisfy- 
ing every appropriation, and discharging the last item 
of our public debt, which will be done on the 1st of 
January next (one month after the delivery of the 
message), there will remain unexpended in the treasury, 
an effective balance of about four hundred and forty 
thousand dollars." He also called the attention of 
Congress to the delay of France in paying the first 
instalment of the indemnity which that nation had 
agreed to pay to the United States, for spoliations on 
American commerce ; and recommended the passage 
of a law authorizing reprisals upon French property, 
in case provision should not be made for the payment 

* Statesman's Manual, p. 1017. 



FRENCH INDEMNITY. 479 

of the debt at the session of the French Chambers 
which was to be convened on the 29th of December. 
The president, in a special message on the 25th of 
February, 1835, informed the Congress that he had 
deemed it his duty to instruct Mr. Livingston to quit 
France, with his legation, and return to the United 
States, if an appropriation for the fulfilment of the con- 
vention should be refused by the Chambers. The 
French king was disposed to construe the threat of 
Jackson to issue letters of marque and reprisal, in case 
of longer delay, into an insult, and it was intimated 
that an apology would be indispensable. To this the 
old hero replied, with characteristic emphasis : " The 
honour of my country shall never be stained by an apo- 
logy from me for the statement of truth and the perform- 
ance of duty." The French minister at Washington 
had asked and received his passports — a war seemed 
to be near at hand, if not already determined upon — 
when all at once, and unexpectedly, the money was 
paid to the uttermost farthing, diplomatic courtesies 
restored, and peaceable relations re-established.* It 
was during this dispute with France, that an eloquent 
opponent of Jackson's administration said on the floor 
of Congress — "Sir, if the president will so temper his 
policy as to carry this country honourably through the 
controversy without a war, he will draw upon his head 
the blessings of men whose voices have never mingled 
with the incense of his flatterers ; and his name, in the 
eyes of all mankind, will appear fairer and brighter than 
when he came out of the blazing lines of New Orleans, 

* Harris. 



480 SECOND PRESIDENTIA-L TERM. 

in all the freshness of his victory and its honours." 
The war was averted, and the honour of the country 
was preserved without a stain or a spot on its shield ; 
and the hope and prediction of eloquence were both 
realized together. The most chivalrous of nations 
retired from her position. The irresistible policy of 
justice averted all peril from the Union, and added 
new titles of renown to the fame of its venerable chief; 
and the blessings of the generation who w itnessed the 
bravery of his resolution, and of the generation who 
mourn his death, have flowed, and will flow, continually 
in an unbroken stream upon his head.* 

On the 30th of January, 1835, an attempt was 
made to take the life of the president, under the fol- 
lowing circumstances. One of the representatives 
from South Carolina, Warren R. Davis, having died 
at the capital, the honour of a public funeral was de- 
creed to him. Accordingly, the president, heads of 
departments, and the members of both houses of Con- 
gress assembled in the rotunda of the capitol, where 
a funeral sermon was preached, preparatory to the 
procession, and consignment of the body to the dust. 
At the conclusion of the sermon, the president, with 
the secretary of the treasury on his left arm, was re- 
tiring from the rotunda to reach his carriage at the 
steps of the portico, when he was fired at, from behind 
one of the columns of the portico, at a distance of less 
than eight feet. The percussion cap exploded with 
such a noise, that several persons supposed that the 
pistol had been discharged. It was not so, however. 

* Merrick. 



ATTEMPT ON T II K PRETUDENT'S LIFE. 481 




Attempt an General Jackson's life. 



The assassin immediately dropped the pistol from his 
right hand, and, taking another, ready cocked, from 
his left, presented and snapped it at the president, who, 
at the moment of the first attempt, had raised his 
cane, and was rushing upon him, when his second 
attempt failing, he ran to make his escape through the 
crowd. The president pressed after him with his up- 
lifted cane until he saw him secured. When the load 
was drawn from one of the pistols, it was found to 
contain a ball, of which about sixty would make a 
pound. It was well patched, and forced down tight, 
on a full charge of excellent glazed powder. How the 
caps could have exploded without firing the powder, 
may be considered wonderful. Providence has ever 
guarded the life of the man who was destined to raise 
67 



482 SECOND PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

and preserve his country's glory. The assassin con- 
fessed his intention to take the Hfe of General Jackson, 
denied that he had any accomplices, and was suffered to 
escape punishment on the ground of apparent insanity. 
It is considered very doubtful, however, whether the 
man was really insane. 

In May, William T. Barry was appointed Minister 
to Spain, and Amos Kendall Postmaster-General, in 
his place. The appointment of Mr. Kendall was not 
confirmed until 1836. 

The first session of the twenty-fourth Congress 
commenced on the 7th of December, 1835, and con- 
tinued until the 4th of July, 1836. The president's 
seventh annual message represented the country in a 
flourishing condition, the public debt extinguished, and 
a large surplus in the treasury. 

The principal acts passed at this session of Con- 
gress were — the distribution act, providing that the 
money which should be remaining in the ti-easury on 
the 1st day of January, 1837, reserving the sum of 
five millions of dollars, should be distributed among 
such of the states, in proportion to their respective 
numbers, as should by law accept of the same, the 
distribution to be made quarterly, commencing on the 
1st of January, 1837; an act relating to patents, 
repealing all previous acts on the same subject; an 
act admitting Michigan into the Union, on certain 
conditions, which were accepted in the following year ; 
an act admitting the state of Arkansas into the 
Union; and an act making appropriations for con- 
tinuing the Cumberland Road, and the improvement 
of certain harbours and rivers. The president vetoed 



THE SPECIE CIRCULAR. 483 

an act fixing the day of meeting and adjournment of 
Congress. 

The Senate confirmed the president's nomination 
of Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice of the Supreme 
Court, in place of Chief Justice Marshall, deceased ; 
and of John H. Eaton, Minister to Spain, in place of 
Mr. Barry, deceased. 

After the adjournment of Congress, the secretary 
of the treasury issued a circular by order of the 
president, directing the receivers of public moneys 
to receive nothing but gold and silver in payment 
for public lands, except Virginia land scrip in certain 
cases. The immediate eflTect of this circular was to 
divert the specie of the country from its ordinary 
course, and to embarrass commercial operations. It 
accomplished the president's purpose of checking 
speculation in the public lands, and in this way proved 
highly salutary; but as considerable inconvenience 
and loss to individuals were occasioned by it on its 
first promulgation, complaints were proportionally loud 
against the measure. 

The second session of the 24th Congress com- 
menced on the 5th of December, 1836, and continued 
until the 3d of March, 1837. It was at this session 
that the celebrated expunging resolution, introduced 
by Mr. Benton, was passed, by which the censure of 
the Senate on the course pursued by the president in 
the removal of the deposites from the United States 
Bank, was expunged from the journal. This was 
done by drawing black lines around the resolution, 
and writing in strong characters across it, "Ex-^ 



484 SECOND PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

pungcd, by order of the Senate, this 16th day of 
January, in tlie year of our Lord 1837." 

In his last annual message, the president informed 
Congress that the claims of the United States upon 
Mexico had not been adjusted, and in a special mes- 
sage, dated February Gth, 1837, in relation to the 
same subject, he said: — "The length of time since 
some of the injuries (complained of) have been com- 
mitted, the repeated and unavailing applications for 
redress, the wanton character of some of the out- 
rages upon the property and persons of our citizens, 
upon the officers and flag of the United States, inde- 
pendent of recent insults to this government and peo- 
ple by the late extraordinary Mexican minister, would 
justify, in the eyes of all nations, immediate war. 
That remedy, however, should not be used, by just 
and generous nations confiding in their strength, for 
injuries committed, if it can be honourably avoided ; 
and it has occurred to me that, considering the pres- 
ent embarrassed condition of that country, we should 
act with both wisdom and moderation, by giving to 
Mexico one more opportunity to atone for the past, 
before we take redress into our own hands. To 
avoid all misconception on the part of Mexico, as 
well as protect our own national character from re- 
proach, this opportunity should be given with the 
avowed design and full preparation to take immediate 
satisfaction, if it should not be obtained on a repe- 
tition of the demand for it. To this end I recommend 
that an act be passed, authorizing reprisals, and the 
use of the naval force of the United States by the 
executive against Mexico to enforce them, in the event 



ELECTION OF MR. VAN BUREN. 485 

of a refusal by the Mexican government to come to 
an amicable adjustment of the matters in controversy 
between us, upon another demand thereof made from 
on board one of our vessels of war on the coast of 
Mexico." 

An act was passed by Congress at this session, 
relating to the treasury circular, providing for the 
reception of the notes of specie-paying banks, in some 
cases, by the receivers of public moneys, and it was 
sent to the president for his approval on the after- 
noon of the 2d of March. He prevented it from be- 
coming a law by retaining it in his hands until after 
the adjournment of Congress the next day, and this 
informal but resolute veto was the last act of Presi- 
dent Jackson's administration. He published his 
reasons for retaining it, in a paper dated "Wash- 
ington, March 3d, 1837, 1-4 before 12 P. M." His 
principal reasons were want of time properly to con- 
sider it, and the complexity and uncertainty of its 
provisions. 

The election held in the autumn of 183G for Presi- 
dent and Vice President, resulted as follows : 

For President, Martin Van Buren received 170 
votes, William H. Harrison 73, Hugh L. White 26, 
Daniel Webster 14, Willie P. Mangum 11 ; giving 
Van Buren a majority of 46 votes. 

For Vice President, Richard M. Johnson received 
147 votes, Francis Granger 77, John Tyler 47, Wil- 
liam Smith 23. 

The votes were counted in Congress in February, 

1837, and Martin Van Buren was declared duly 
elected president. No person having a majority of 



486 SECOND PRESIDENTIAL TERM. 

electoral votes for the office of vice president, the 
choice devolved upon the Senate, who, at the first 
ballot, elected Richard M. Johnson, by a vote of 33 
to 16. 

On the 3d of March, 1837, President Jackson pub- 
hshed his farewell address to the people of the United 
States, on his retirement to private life. This paper 
is second only to that of General Washington, and 
its great length alone prevents us from giving it en- 
tire. To attempt a synopsis or condensation of it, 
would be presumptuous and useless. 

General Jackson remained at Washington to wit- 
ness the inauguration of his friend and successor, Mr. 
Van Buren, when he finally retired to the Hermitage* 
determined to spend the remainder of his active and 
usefiil life in retirement. 

The events of the administration of President Jack- 
son have been so recent, some of them not having yet 
been fully developed, (as, for instance, his course in 
relation to Mexico,) and their character and tendency 
are so much involved in the partisan discussions of 
the present day, that historical comment on them is 
premature. The policy of an administration can only 
be tried by its eftects ; and the effects, great and per- 
manent, flowing from the efforts of Jackson, are not 
yet fully known. Public opinion, with respect to 
some of his principal acts, even those most condemned 
at the time of their occurrence, is rapidly undergoing 
a great change, and it is yet impossible to judge cor- 
rectly of the ultimate eflfects of his labours. 




CHAPTER XX. 

LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

FTER the inauguration of Mr. 
Van Buren, General Jackson 
immediately left the seat of go- 
vernment, to proceed to the 
Hermitage. As he rode from 
the President's House to the car 
office, the population of the city, 
^ and the masses who had gath- 
ered from around, followed his 
carriage in crowds. All in silence stood near him, to 




488 LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

bid him adieu ; and as the cars started, and he dis- 
played his gray hairs, on hfting his hat in token of 
farewell, they stood with their heads uncovered, too 
full of emotion to speak, in solemn silence gazing on 
him as he departed, never more to be seen in their 
midst.* 

With a popularity surpassed only by that which 
was carried to Mount Vernon by the Father of his 
country, he returned to the Hermitage, at the age of 
three score and ten — ripe with honours and laden with 
the blessings of his countrymen. 

His last eight years, though passed in retirement, 
are, perhaps, more interesting in many respects than 
those which precede them — but, in almost every in- 
cidents of his hfe since the maturity of his manhood, 
we behold a text wherefrom may be illustrated a most 
exemplary specimen of human character. 

The mighty power of his opinions upon important 
public questions, in the evening of his life, while quietly 
reposing at the Hermitage, far away from the seat of 
government, is the crowning evidence of his goodness 
and greatness. His late letters and earlier state papers 
will always stand forth as landmarks to the paths of 
honour and safety, equaj, if not superior, in their pro- 
minence to those of Jefferson. They will be con- 
sulted as the oracles of political faith ; and for ages 
and ages after the hand that traced them has crumbled 
to its native dust, their vigour and their freshness will 
be unimpaired. 

Andrew Jackson never occupied a doubtful position 
upon any question. A decided and substantive char- 

"" Bancroft. 



CHARACTER OF JACKSON. 489 

acter, his friends and his enemies always knew where 
to find him. If his countrymen sought his opinion, 
they had it in plain terms, few words. It was re- 
ceived as that of a true patriot, having liad great 
experience, one whom they had known long and 
watched closely, and one whom they regarded as 
being more replete w ith " sober second thought, never 
wrong, and always efficient," than any man living. 
If they were bewildered with doubt ; if the turmoil of 
party collisions aroused their apprehensions for the 
safety of the republic, his abiding confidence in the 
virtue and intelligence of his countrymen was received 
as " the inspiration of his instinctive wisdom," which 
has been likened to " prophecy." 

It is not wonderful that such a man should have 
had such an influence with such a people. Gradually 
risins: from the humbler walks of life to the most exalted 
stations on earth, he knew the wants, feelings, and 
sympathies of all classes, all conditions ; and his coun- 
trymen were to him as the equal members of the same 
great family associated for their common benefit. 
Hence, his influence upon public opinion was neces- 
sarily great ; and if he used it in accordance with his 
solid judgment, who shall have the temerity to say he 
was a dictator ? In the heat of partisan excitement, 
the charge has often been preferred ; but thanks to the 
just and discriminating spirit of our fellow-citizens, it 
has been as often refuted to the satisfaction of the 
world. The dictator holds to principles adverse to 
those of his people, and enforces obedience. Jack- 
son's principles w ere those which the popular interests 
reflected, and with which his own interests, as a citi- 
68 



490 LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

zen, were identified in every respect. Instead of 
compelling the masses of the people to coincide with 
him, he foresaw their inclination, and coincided with 
them as their champion. 

No man was ever further from a desire to control 
the volitions of his countrymen against their will — 
no one was ever less obnoxious to the charge of dicta- 
tion. It was but a few days before his death, that a 
citizen called upon him for his signature to a petition 
for an office, when he replied : "' No, no, I cannot do 
it ; for they will say I am dictating to the president." 

Within the last few years, his opinions, on all great 
questions dividing public sentiment, have been sought 
with avidity. When he spoke by letter, his voice was 
heard to the remotest parts of the republic, and not 
unfrequently throughout the civilized world. Nor can 
the fact be disguised that his letters on the annexation 
of Texas to our territory, constituted the great and 
powerful lever by which that glorious measure was 
launched upon the tide of success. They excited the 
jealousy of England, if not the envy of the entire Holy 
Alliance ; but they revived and strengthened the wa- 
ning hopes of Texas, and made glad the hearts of its 
people. 

A distinguished Texan says, that at a moment 
when his country had almost despaired of establishing 
a reunion, when they were going deeper and deeper 
into debt to maintain the necessary defences of their 
frontier, and were nearly driven to entertain propo- 
sitions for protective alliances with other nations, 
General Jackson was writing to his own countrymen 
that it was " the golden moment" for annexation, and 



CHARACTER OF JACKSON. 491 

exliorting his friends in Texas to take courage, for 
the time would come, and that speedily, when the 
American people would demand annexation at the 
hands of their government. 

The time came. He lived to hear the demand 
which he had previously predicted. The work is 
done — and although the venerable patriot did not last 
until its consummation, yet, thanks to an indulgent 
Providence, he was spared long enough to see the 
end with certainty, and to exclaim, as he did in one 
of his last letters—" ALL IS SAFE!"* 

During the earnest canvass which terminated in 
the election of Mr. Polk, General Jackson took a 
lively interest in the progress of affairs, and frequently 
expressed his approbation of the policy of annexing 
Texas, which formed one of the test questions upon 
which that election turned. 

No man could maintain this position in either of 
the two great parties, without being a man of com- 
manding intellect. Men bow not down to their in- 
feriors in mind; and yet, long after Jackson had 
retired from political life, in every emergency, and in 
every trial, all eyes ever turned to the Hermitage, and 
every ear listened with veneration and respect to the 
words of wisdom, of counsel, and of warning, ad- 
dressed to his countrymen; and even now, in the 
estimation of mankind, as a sage he holds a place^ 
second to none, not even unto him of Monticello.t 

But he who had occupied so important a page iii 
his country's history, who had possessed a popularity 

* Irvin. f Harris, 



492 



LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 




James K. Polk. 



and influence exceeded only by Washington, who had 
filled every high station of dignity and trust which his 
country could confer, both civil and military, became, 
when in the domestic circle and around the social 
hearth, as simple as a child, distinguished by the 
suavity of his deportment and an intuitive felicity of 
making every one around him happy. Such was 
Andrew Jackson, in private life; nnd it is there that 
true greatness waits to be exhibited. In the world 
men rise superior to each other, but it is here that 



CHA'RACTER OF JACKSON. 493 

man rises superior to himself. The region of pohtics, 
at best, is baneful ; and too often " the soil the vices 
hke." 

In his private attachments, he was governed by 
the same steadiness that sustained his public conduct. 
His friendships were, therefore, sincere and fixed. If 
he loved you to-day, he would love you still more to- 
morrow, the next day, and for ever, provided you did 
nothing to forfeit his regard and good opinion. Al- 
though, in a character marked by such strength of 
features, the lineaments of the softer virtues could 
scarcely be expected to mix, yet those who knew him 
best in private life, and in the unbendings of retire- 
ment, knew the genuine indications of their existence, 
and the childlike simplicity and tenderness of his 
nature.* 

But weighty and instant as are the duties of a 
citizen to his country, and of a patriarch to his family, 
Andrew Jackson remembered that he owed to his 
Maker a higher and more solemn responsibility. This 
sentiment had been implanted in his youthful breast 
by a mother's lessons and a mother's love. It had 
been nourished by the example of a wife — one of the 
excellent of the earth; by providential deliverances 
and favours ; by the perusal of the Book of God, and 
by the instructions of the pulpit. As in earlier life 
he was the brave and dauntless soldier in defence of 
his country's rights, so he became the brave and 
dauntless soldier of the cross. From his childhood 
he had revered Christianity, and after dwelt with 

* Stevenson, 



494 LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

grateful emotions on the tender and prayerful solici- 
tude of his pious mother, during his boyhood, for his 
spiritual welfare. And even in the turbulent and 
boisterous periods of his career, when all his ener- 
gies were concentrated in the conduct of sanguinary 
British and Indian wars, although vehement and 
impetuous of spirit, the purest religious feelings ani- 
mated his heart and shaped his inclinations. There 
is not in our language a more beautiful form of prayer 
and thanksgiving than is contained in a portion of his 
congratulatory and farewell address to his soldiers at 
New Orleans, after the battle of the eighth — meekly 
giving all the glory of the victory to the God of 
battles, in whom he had put his trust. I have heard 
an old warrior against the Indians say, that on the 
eve of one of the most deadly conflicts in the Creek 
nation, when they were on watch for the enemy, 
whom they knew to be near, and when an order had 
been given that there should be no unnecessary noise 
in camp, one of the guard approached the general 
and complained that a soldier was praying unneces- 
sarily loud. "God forbid," said he, that ^^ praying 
should be considered an unnecessary noise in my 
camp." These feelings ripened with age into a firmly 
settled conviction and conversion ; and for the last 
eight years of his life, he who had led and directed 
his countrymen on so many well fought fields, who 
had humbled the proud British lion upon our south- 
western shore, and sent him howling home to his sea- 
girt den — who had wrung the unwilling acknowledg- 
ment of our country's rights from the crowned heads 
of Europe might be seen upon the Sabbath, when 



CHARACTER OF JACKSON. 495 

his health would permit, bowing with his neighbour- 
hood circle in deep humility and humble adoration 
before the little altar which he had caused to be 
placed a short distance from his house, devotedly and 
sincerely partaking of the sacred emblems of faith. 
I witnessed this — but I witnessed no richly embroi- 
dered carpets on which to kneel — no gorgeous purples 
in which to robe the chief — no pomp — no parade — 
no insignia of superiority or power, like those which 
glitter within the royal chapels of princesses and po- 
tentates. All was plainness, simplicity, piety. Chris- 
tian purity. He fostered that little church with a 
father's solicitude and yjrotection ; and one of his last 
wishes was that it might be sustained for ever.* 

He was a Christian, as he was everything else, 
decidedly and wholly. No important interest of 
Christianity seems to have been overlooked by him. 
The Bible, the Sabbath, and the Sunday School, all 
received the hearty approval and commendation of 
Andrew Jackson. Of the word of God, he said : — 
" Hie Bible is true. Upon that sacred volume, I rest 
my hope of eternal salvation, through the merits and 
blood of our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ." 
His old Bible, thumbed and worn by constant use, he 
held up in his right hand, and said to Doctor Edgar : 
"This book, sir, is the bulwark of our republican 
institutions, the anchor of our present and future 
safety." Remember the sentiment, American Repub- 
licans : I will repeat it. It is a voice that comes to 
us on the wings of the sighing winds from the far off 

* Harris. 



496 LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

Hermitage: " This book, sir, is the hidwarh of our 
republican institutions, the anchor of our presctit and 
future safety.'''' It is said his Bible was ever by his 
side. Like the pillar of the cloud, the symbol of Je- 
hovah's covenant with Israel in the wilderness, it was 
moved when he moved, it rested where he rested. 

As the light of the Sabbath broke over his earthly 
habitation, he remarked, " This day is the holy Sab- 
bath ordained by God, and set apart to be devoted to 
his worship and praise. I always attended service at 
church when I could, but now I can go no more." 

He charged his family to continue the instruction 
of the poor at the Sabbath school. This new system 
of instruction, he said, which blended the duties of re- 
ligion with those of humanity, he considered as of 
vast importance. He seemed anxious to impress the 
family with these sentiments. And in his last mo- 
ments, two of his grandchildren were sent for from 
the Sabbath school to receive his blessing. 

Here was the full-souled and intelligent Christian. 
He made the Bible the rule of faith and practice. He 
made the Bible the foundation of the liberties of his 
country. Observance of the holy Sabbath day, 
attendance upon the services of the sanctuary, and 
the religious education of the young, were all incul- 
cated by precept and practice. These are the senti- 
ments, my countrymen, that I would have you treasure 
up in your hearts, and exemplify in your lives. What 
a testimony have we from the lips of Andrew Jack- 
son, to the truth of our holy religion. He ivas great 
because he was good !* 

* Lore. "^ 



LETTER FROM COMMODORE ELLIOTT. 497 

During General Jackson's retirement, a motion was 
made in Congress to approve the declaration of martial 
law by him, while in command of the army at New 
Orleans, by refunding the fine with interest. During 
the delay occasioned by a vigorous opposition, the 
state of Louisiana passed an act pledging itself to 
refund it in the event of the failure of the motion in 
Congress. But it did not fail. That which had been 
so magnanimously paid by him, was with correspond- 
ing magnanimity refunded by a special law of his 
country — and he was often heard to say, that he ac- 
cepted it, not so much for the sake of the amount, as 
that the resolutions of Congress entirely annihilating 
every vestige of imputation upon his conduct at New 
Orleans, might be fulfilled to all intents and pirposes.* 
Less than three months before his death, Andrew 
Jackson received a letter from Commodore Jesse D. 
Elliott, with the offer of a sarcophagus, which had 
been obtained in Palestine, brought to the United States 
in the frigate Constitution, and was believed to have 
contained the remains of the Roman emperor, Alex- 
ander Severus. The commodore's letter concluded in 
these words : " I pray you, General, to live on in the 
fear of the Lord ; dying the death of a Roman soldier ; 
an emperor's coffin awaits you." 

The answer of Jackson to this letter was so cha- 
racteristic of the man, that we have taken the liberty 
to transcribe it entire. 

* Harris. 
69 



498 LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

Hermitage, March 27th, 1845. 

Dear Sir: — Your letter of the IStli instant, toge- 
ther with the copy of the proceedings of the National 
Institute, furnished me by their corresponding secre- 
tary, on the presentation, by you, of the sarcophagus 
for their acceptance on condition it shall be preserved 
in honour of my memory, have been received, and are 
now before me. 

Although labouring under great debility and afflic- 
tion, from a severe attack from which I may not 
recover, I raise my pen and endeavour to reply. The 
steadiness of my nerves may perhaps lead you to con- 
clude my prostration of strength is not so great as is 
here expressed. Strange as it may appear, my nerves 
are as steady as they were forty years gone by ; whilst, 
from debility and affliction, I am gasping for breath. 

I have read the whole proceedings of the presen- 
tation, by you, of the sarcophagus, and the resolutions 
passed by the board of directors, so honourable to my 
fame, w ith sensations and feelings more easily to be 
conjectured than by me expressed. The Avhole pro- 
ceedings call for my most grateful thanks, which are 
hereby tendered to you, and through you to the presi- 
dent and directors of the National Institute. But with 
the warmest sensations that can inspire a grateful 
heart, I must decline accepting the honour intended to 
be bestowed. I cannot consent that my mortal body 
shall be laid in a repository prepared for an emperor 
or king. My republican feelings and principles forbid 
it; the simplicity of our system of government forbids 
it. Every monument erected to perpetuate the mem- 
ory of our heroes and statesmen ought to bear evidence 



REPLY TO COMMODORE ELLIOTT. 499 

of the economy and simplicity of our republican insti- 
tutions, and the plainness of our republican citizens, 
who are the sovereigns of our glorious Union, and 
whose virtue it is to perpetuate it. True virtue can- 
not exist where pomp and parade are the governing 
passions ; it can only dwell with the people — the great 
labouring and producing classes that form the bone 
and sinew of our confederacy. 

For these reasons I cannot accept the honour you 
and the president and directors of the National Insti- 
tute intended to bestow. I cannot permit my remains 
to be the first in these United States to be deposited 
in a sarcophagus made for an emperor or king. I 
again repeat, please accept for yourself, and convey 
to the president and directors of the National Institute, 
my most profound respects for the honour you and they 
intended to bestow. I have prepared an humble depo- 
sitory for my mortal body beside that wherein lies my 
beloved wife, where, without any pomp or parade, I 
have requested, when my God calls me to sleep with 
my fathers, to be laid ; for both of us there to remain 
until the last trump sounds to call the dead to judg- 
ment, when we, I hope, shall rise together, clothed 
with that heavenly body promised to all who believe 
in our glorious Redeemer, who died for us that we 
might live, and by whose atonement I hope for a 
blessed immortality. 

I am, with great respect. 

Your friend and fellow-citizen, 

Andrew Jackson. 

To Com. J. D. Elliott, United States Navy. 



500 LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

This was the answer of Christian meekness, of re- 
publican simphcity, of American patriotism. Such 
an answer as might have been expected by one who 
knew the character of Jackson. 

The last will and testament of Andrew Jackson, 
made on the 7th of June, 1843, will be found to illus^ 
trate, in a remarkable manner, his purity, patriotism, 
affection and chivalry ; and as it is a matter of record 
in the county court of Davidson county, Tennessee^ 
there can be no impropriety in referring to it here. 
The will is written in his own plain and steady hand, 
and the exact language of the instrument is preserved 
in the extracts which we make from it. 

" I bequeath," it says, " my body to the dust, whence 
it comes, and my soul to God, who gave it, hoping for 
a happy immortality through the atoning merits of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. My 
desire is, that my body be buried by the side of my 
dear departed wife, in the garden at the Hermitage, 
in the vault prepared in the garden, and all expenses 
paid by my executor hereafter named." 

After bestowing his entire estate upon his adopted 
son, Andrew Jackson, junior, with the exception of a 
few presents thereinafter to be named, he proceeds : 

" I bequeath to my beloted nephew, Andrew J. 
Donelson, son of Samuel Donelson, deceased, the 
elegant sword presented to me by the State of Ten- 
nessee, with this injunction, that he fail not to use it 
when necessary in support and protection of our 
glorious Union, and for the protection of the consti- 
tutional rights of our beloved country, should they be 
assailed by foreign enemies or domestic traitors. 



LAST WILL. 501 

This, from the great change in my worldly affairs of 
late, is, with my blessing, all I can bequeath him, 
doing justice to those creditors to whom I am respon- 
sible. This bequest is made as a memento of my 
high regard, affection, and esteem I bear for him, as 
a high-minded, honest, and honorable man. 

" To my grandnephew, Andrew Jackson Coffee, I 
bequeath the elegant sword presented to me by the 
Rifle Company of New Orleans, commanded by Cap- 
tain Beal, as a memento of my regard, and to bring 
to his recollection the gallant services of his deceased 
father. General John Coffee^ in the late Indian and 
British war, under my command, and his gallant con-' 
duct in defence of New Orleans in 1814 and 1815 ; 
with this injunction, that he wield it in the protection 
of the rights secured to the American citizen under 
our glorious constitution, against all invaders, whether 
foreign foes or intestine traitors* 

"I bequeath to my beloved grandson, Andrew 
Jackson, son of Andrew Jackson, junior, and Sarah 
his wife, the sword presented me by the citizens of 
Philadelphia, with this injunction, that he will always 
use it in defence of the constitution and our glorious 
wisdom, and the perpetuation of our republican system ; 
remembering the motto — ' Draw me not without oc- 
casion nor sheath me without honour.' 

"The pistols of General Lafayette, which were 
presented by him to General George Washington, and 
by Colonel William Robertson presented to me, I 
bequeath to George Washington Lafayette, as a 
memento of the illustrious personages through whose 



502 LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

hands they have passed — his father^ and the father of 
his country. 

" The gold box presented to me by the corporation 
of the City of New York, the large silver vase pre- 
sented to me by the ladies of Charleston, South Caro- 
lina, my native state, with the large picture represent- 
ing the unfurling of the American banner, presented 
to me by the citizens of South Carolina when it was 
refused to be accepted by the United States Senate, I 
leave in trust to my son A. Jackson, junior, with direc- 
tions that should our happy country not be blessed 
with peace, an event not always to be expected, he will 
at the close of the war or end of the contiict, present 
each of said articles of inestimable value, to that 
patriot residing in the city or state from which they 
were presented, who shall be adjudged by his country- 
men or the ladies, to have been the most valiant in 
defence of his coimtry and our country's rights. 

" The pocket spy-glass which was used by General 
Washington during the revolutionary war, and pre- 
sented to me by Mr. Custis, having been burned with 
my dwelling-house, the Hermitage, with many other 
invaluable relics, I can make no disposition of them. 

" As a memento of my high regard for General Ro- 
bert Armstrong as a gentleman, patriot, and soldier, 
as well as for his meritorious mihtary services under 
my conmiand during the late British and Indian war, 
and remembering the gallant bearing of him and his 
gallant little band at Enotochopco Creek, when, falling 
desperately wounded, he called out — " My brave fel- 
lows, some may fall, but save the cannon" — as a 
memento of all these things, I give and bequeath to 



LAST WILL. 503 

him my case of pistols and sword worn by me 
througliout my military career, well satisfied that in 
Jiis hands they will never be disgraced — that they will 
never be used or drawn without occasion, nor sheathed 
but with honour." 

How beautiful the injunctions which accompany 
the bequests of the dying patriot ! He had preserved 
his own sword pure and insuUied ; he had guarded the 
stainless emblems of a nation's gratitude as a price- 
less treasure ; and when he was approached by the 
great earthly conqueror of all mankind, he gracefully 
surrendered them into chosen hands, with a prayer 
and command that they should never be dishonoured. 

Nor was he thoughtless of her who had watched 
his bedside for years. In recognising and confirming 
a marriage gift to the wife of his adopted son, he 
said, " This gift and bequest is made as a token of my 
great affection for her, a memento of her uniform at- 
tention to me, and kindness on all occasions. When 
worn down with sickness, pain, and debility, she has 
been more than a daughter to me, and I hope that 
she will never be disturbed by any one in the enjoy- 
ment of this gift and bequest."* 

But let us hasten on to the closing scene — the last 
hour of this great man. That courage which battle 
could not intimidate — that fortitude which civil com- 
motions could not shake, have now to be tried in 
another scene. That frame, that not fatigue, nor ex- 
posure, nor hunger could bend, worn by age and 
disease, is now bending over the grave. Time has 

* Harris. 



504 LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

wrought its ends, and he is ripe for immortality. Be- 
hold the man, who has served his country, and served 
his God. He has no fears, no misgivings; calmly 
he looks back on a well-spent life, joyfully reaches 
forward with hope, to a blissful immortality. 

When asked by a friend, " what course would he 
pursue, were he permitted to live his life over again" — 
with a majestic tone of voice, says that friend, he 
calmly but emphatically replied, " Sir, I would not 
accept the boon if it were qfered to me." His whole 
countenance, continues that friend, became suddenly 
illuminated ; his keen, piercing eye, fixed on vacancy, 
appeared to be contemplating the beautiful scenes of 
a distant world, as they gradually developed them- 
selves to his view. Delightful thought! Beholding 
with the eye of faith the beautiful fields, the radiant 
beings, and the never clouded sun of that spiritual 
world to which he is hastening, he would not ex- 
change the prospect and the hope of its enjoyment, 
for another glorious life like his on earth. Heaven 
grant that in the dying hour our faith may be like 
his! 

It is a beautiful summer Sabbath morning ! the 8th 
of June, 1845. Silence reigns all around, while anx- 
ious countenances behold the death-stricken face of 
the dying sage. He faints, and is supposed to be dead, 
but revives ; and, propped up in his arm chair, with 
his family all around him, he said, " My dear children, 
do not grieve for me ; it is true I am going to leave 
you ; I am well aware of my situation ; I have suflfered 
much bodily pain ; but my suflTerings are as nothing, 
compared with that which our blessed Saviour endured 



JACKSON'S DEATH-BED. 505 

upon that accursed cross, that they might all be saved 
who put their trust in him." He then took them by 
the hand, one by one, and saying some words of ten- 
derness to each, bade them farewell. The little chil- 
dren he had brought to him, his grandchildren, and the 
children of his wife's sister ; those who were absent at 
Sabbath school, were sent for. He then kissed them, 
and blessed them in a manner so touchingly im- 
pressive, that language cannot describe it. Seeing his 
servants anxiously pressing about the doors and win- 
dows of his chamber, that they might behold for the 
last time his living countenance, he took leave of them 
also. He then spoke for half an hour, and apparently 
with the power of inspiration ; for he spoke with calm- 
ness, with strength, and with animation. His implicit 
belief in the Christian religion, and in the plan of sal- 
vation as revealed in the Bible — his great anxiety that 
they should believe in religion, as taught by the Holy 
Scriptures ; and that, in so doing, they might insure 
their eternal salvation, and join him in Heaven — made 
the words that fell from his lips deeply impressive, 
awfully sublime. In conclusion, he said, " My children, 
and friends, and servants, I hope and trust to meet 
you all in Heaven, both white and black." Looking 
with tender solicitude upon his servants, he repeated, 
« both white and hlackP These were his last words ; 
with them he ceased to speak. The body calmly 
sunk into the arms of death, while the immortal spirit, 
clothed in celestial garments, rose triumphant over 
death and the grave, and ascended, amid a choir of 
shouting anorels, into the Paradise above. Ministers 
70 



506 LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

may preach, divines may write, but the dying example 
of such a man is worth more than all.* 

Thus lived, thus died Andrew Jackson ; great in 
war, great in peace, triumphant in death. " Socrates 
died like a philosopher ;" but it was the happier lot of 
Jackson to die hke a Christian. Fit consummation 
to a life like his. Devoted for nearly eighty years to 
the cause of the republic, his dying breath bears wit- 
ness to the truth of that religion on which alone the 
republic can safely found its institutions. His life is 
its own best monument — his own best eulogy. It 
sprang from the dark valley of obscurity, like the 
peaks of his favourite Allcghanies from the valleys of 
the west, into the sight and the admiration of a world ; 
rough, rugged, and sublime, piercing through every 
cloud, it towered aloft till its summit was bathed in 
the light of Heaven.t 

The news of the death of Andrew Jackson spread 
a pall over the whole nation. Throughout all our 
vast country was heard the voice of mourning — a 
nation grieving for a loved and honoured son. The 
people in all its cities, towns, villages, and hamlets, 
spontaneously gathered together to do honour to the 
memory of the departed hero and patriot. Men of 
all parties, and of all grades, pursuits, and occupations, 
united on that solemn occasion. All w^ere sensible 
that the shaft of death had reached an illustrious 
mark, and had removed from the connexions of this 
earth one, who, for a long series of years, had been 
intimately associated in their minds with some of the 

* Garland. f Bolles. 



JACKSON'S EXAMPLE. 507 

most brilliant eras in the annals of the country, and 
one who had long been regarded by a large pro- 
portion of the people w ith the highest degree of vene- 
ration and esteem. A united people attended as 
mourners at his funeral. They consigned his mortal 
remains to the tomb of his own choice, beneath the 
green soil of the land he loved so well, and by the 
side of the beloved partner of his domestic joys and 
sorrows, who had preceded him in death. There 
they will rest in honoured repose, until the archangel's 
trump shall sound the summons to an everlasting 
resurrection. But the memory of his illustrious deeds 
will live — they will be familiar to the ears of unborn 
millions; and in future ages, his example and his 
counsels will continue to exert a beneficial influence 
over the destinies of his beloved country.* 

To the youth of our country, the example of 
Jackson is invaluable. His life containing and illus- 
trating a moral lesson, imposing as it is grand, is a 
volume written in letters of gold, and establishes a 
precedent for imitation, that is beyond price. It 
points to the great highway of fame and distinction — 
it tells him that the man who honestly serves his 
country, in whatever position it may be his fortune to 
be cast, will as surely bring down upon him the grati- 
tude of that country, as the fulfilment of prophecy. 
In this land of equal rights, the humblest youth, with 
honesty, talents, and perseverance to recommend him, 
enjoys the same opportunities with the high born and 
the wealthy, for political honours. The first blow at 

* Smith. 



508 LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

Lexington, in the revolutionary struggle, not only 
knocked to atoms the bonds and fetters of Great 
Britain, but also all the orders and titles of nobility — 
leveled the pohtical condition of the American colo- 
nies to a common standard, and made merit, in the 
place of hereditary fortune, the republican test. Who 
would have even conjectured, at that early day, that 
a young man of the tender age of fourteen years, a 
captive in the British camp, but who had the courage 
and bravery, unarmed, to face the same weapon which 
had already drunk the blood of an only brother, 
rather than stoop to the menial service of becoming 
the boot-black of an English officer — would be at the 
head of the grandest government on the face of the 
earth ? An orphan child, unprotected, without friends, 
without influence. It is this trait in the features of a 
popular government, that truly makes it the grandest 
in the world. In following the course of that young 
man, we have seen him, when the war was over, pur- 
suing the profession of law — representing his state in 
the nation's councils — upon the bench — again, at the 
head of the American troops, pushing on to glorious 
victory — and finally, the chief executive officer of the 
United States of America. What a theme for con- 
templation — what a subject for thought ! Let the 
young man who is an)bitious for dura*ble fame, read 
and reflect upon the noble example which he will find 
in the life of Andrew Jackson. Let him believe that 
the gigantic obstacles that lie between him and the 
summit of his hopes and anticipations, will vanish like 
snowflakes beneath the rays of the sun, by labour, 
temperance, perseverance, and virtue. 



JACKSON'S EXAMPLE. 509 

There is no ordinary obstacle that can thwart or 
defeat a well directed and prudent ambition — mo- 
mentary it may be, but the courage and determination 
of the human heart are not easily foiled ; and when a 
point is fixed in the distance, it is almost invariably 
attained. The life of Andrew Jackson is full proof 
of this position, and the experience of every day life 
confirms it. 

The American presidents were all "self made 
men" — by perseverance they were elevated to a point 
of political prominence, which is above and beyond 
all others. Let the proud motto of our flag be en- 
graved upon the heart of American youth : " Virtue, 
Liberty, and Independence," and the perpetuity of 
that government which our ancestors regarded as an 
" experiment," will be certain. And the illustrious hero 
of New Orleans, by his acts and deeds — by his habits 
and conduct, has been among the foremost of those 
who have given a character and tone to our country, 
that have placed her high upon the great scroll of 
nations. Let those who could share his honours im- 
itate his example.* 

Though it was no holiday affair, says Mr. Wood- 
bury, who knew Jackson well, to fill office as he filled 
it, whether lookinor to himself or those around him — 
though requiring, as well as practising, all the watch- 
fulness of an Indian ambuscade, all the vigour, at 
times, of a forced march to surprise an enemy, all the 
zeal of a missionary of the Cross, yet his active 
temperament or military training, apparently so in- 

* Wright. 



510 LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 

convenient to others, was mixed up with a courtesy 
of manner and kindly consideration of what was due 
to real infirmity; so that in nothing was he more 
striking than in all the feelings of a gentleman. He 
had been formed in that Revolutionary school of 
politics which added the politeness of the French to 
the solidity of the English, or the manner of the La 
Fayettes and Rochambeaus to the strength and in- 
telligence of the Burgoynes and Cornwallises. He 
exacted nothing which he did not reciprocate ; he 
respected in others all that he asked for himself; and 
every candid observer soon felt that, however severe 
his course may at times have seemed at first, yet, in 
the end, he carried out only that Chesterfieldian as 
well as Christian injunction, to do to others as you 
would be done by. 

Such was his ease in general society, and so deli- 
cate his attentions to female excellence, that many, who 
never met him elsewhere, concluded at once he was 
more of a courtier, or man of the w orld, than suited 
for the conflicts of camps, and parties, and affairs of 
state. But nothing was farther from truth. The 
moment over, that had been demanded by social 
usages or the forms of fashion, his whole soul was in 
his business; and nothing personal or amusing could 
ever tempt him into the slightest neglect or abandon- 
ment of public duty. Never was he bigoted or ex- 
clusive in anything. He was public-spirited in all; 
nor did any Vandal spirit, however imputed, ever 
mark his opinions or deeds, even in the fiercest 
ravages of war or the bitterest excitement of politics ; 
and however the great exigencies of public life may 



^^^-94, 



JACKSON'S EXAMPLE 511 

have forced him at times into action and responsibility 
when others doubted or halted, all his risks were for 
his comitry ; all the dangers braved were intended to 
protect the people and the public safety. 

That he should have been infallible in all this, none 
pretend; but that he meant well, and, in the itiain, did 
well, and as a whole performed noble service to his 
country, none can deny. If to err is human, then, if 
the light of the sun itself be not without some shades 
intermingled — can we, taking him all in all, be other- 
wise than proud of his rank as a man, a soldier and 
a statesman? Whether on the Thames or the 
Ganges — under the tent of the Arab or in marble 
palaces, it is a distinction to be known as one of his 
countrymen. Compared with the renowned of other 
ages and other continents, all America may justly 
boast of him as a production creditable to the New 
World. Humanity itself becomes dignified, when 
man hves up to the height of his powers and his 
destiny. Though some have regarded him as only a 
meteor in our horizon, yet so far from that, he will 
live as a fixed star in history — one of the master 
minds of the age, carefully formed and practical in 
his efforts, and worthy the pages of future Plutarchs 
for many generations to come. The justice of this 
conclusion will strike us more forcibly, if Ave notice 
the contrast between his course and that of many in- 
scribed high on the rolls of past ages ; his w hole life 
devoted to defend the liberties of his country, rather 
than like others to break them down ; the passion of 
his heart to uphold rather than to overturn its consti- 
tution and laws ; friends and power risked to preserve 



512 



LAST DAYS OF JACKSON. 



unimpaired the sacred ties of its union, the sceptre of 
state relinquished, and, like the humblest citizen, re- 
tiring to his farm, instead of striving, like many, to 
usurp authority, or prolong the pomp and pageantry 
of office. In fine, he neither enriched himself by plun- 
der or peculation, nor engrossed office for his family, 
nor waged a moment's war for ambition or conquest ; 
nor exercised a single new power, nor betrayed an old 
one, nor filled station an hour but from, the will of 
the people, or in conformity to the charter of their 
liberties. 




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